"SPECS" motorway cameras...

[Bunjiweb]

Just received this... don't know whether it is for real, but hey.

Dear All
Thought you should be aware of the following:
You know those new electronic signs on the M4? Well they were switched on by some transport minister on Tuesday. Now the bad news, they are rigged with the SPECS speed cameras.


SPECS is a camera based system. As you go past a camera software detects and reads your number plate. When you go past the next camera, it detects and reads your number plate again. It knows how far apart the cameras are so it can work out your average speed between the two cameras.The system is fully automatic and will automatically issue a ticket without any form of human intervention. It does this for every single vehicle that passes a camera! You will not know you've been nicked as the cameras don't flash. There's no film in them either, they're digital. Images of you in your car, together with the date and time are stored on disc (I assume they only keep them if you've been nicked). It works 24/7, 365 days a year, and theoretically, there's absolutelyno limit on the number of tickets that it can issue.


The whole section of the M4 between Theale (J12) and Membury Services (between 14 and 15) is wired, both ways. It is believed that the system is set to trigger a ticket at 78 mph.


The bad news gets even worse. For those who've got radar detectors, they won't work. SPECS is entirely passive, there's no radar or laser beam to pick up...

shocking... and i have to go between junction 14 and 12 on the way to my best mates in Guildford...

Ben

[Nimrod]

you think thats bad, I live in Bracknell and go that way all the time to get to Makro in

Bugger.

[aeronic]

theres a similar system in macclesfield which has a series of cameras and if you speed on any of the sections you get a ticket.

[5lab]

OMFG nimrod - you live in bracknell/brighton?? i also live in bracknell/brighton (bracknell home, brighton (sussex) uni)

:O

[Dreamscape]

I'm not convinced by this, but as i fly up and down the m4 all the time(by all the time i mean at least once a week, bristol to london and back), if i get a ticket i'll let you know.

[5lab]

im not supprised about this - i read an article a while ago about the fact they had cameras that could do it - theres no other real reason for those signs on the m4 because its never really heavily congested..

[Dreamscape]

I've spent alot of time sat on the M4 stationary ( and on the back roads avoiding the stationary traffic) and that stretch is probably one of the worst in the country pariculaly at the moment with the road works at j13 (a34 Newbury bypass). While i don't doubt that the camera tech could do this they would just force everyone onto the backroads, so what would be achieved?

As it stands it only takes a little bump to cause a few miles of congestion on the M4, particularly if it's rush hour.

Will wait and see, as the have actually installed those signs all the way from london to bristol.

[Lowe]

They're not SPEC cameras they're installing, it's Trafficmaster traffic flow monitors. Hoax email according to the forums on www.ukspeedtrap.co.uk

[Barakka]

Cross posted from another forum I use in response to the same original post as here:

I work for a company thats been charge of the development of those new signs. I've spent hours out on our company test track carrying out tests on things like legibility of the sign in all conditions, etc.
I guarantee you there is absolutly no provision for SPECS cameras in the signs.
However there are SPECS cameras on the M4 between Jcts 12 and 15!
Nothing to do with me or my company i should add!
But their not on the new signs, their mounted on poles to the side of the motorway, their white, look like a pair of cctv cameras, quite clearly visible.

Can't guarantee how genuine it is, but it's a respected member.

[Gr44]

they have had those cameras in france for years - heh, this bloke i knew would change his plates and what he was wearing on his bike before each checkpoint - they used actually stop points for it