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Average Speed Cameras on the A9 - stop gap until duelled


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See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-23462860

Thoughts on this? They seem to work in terms of keeping peoples' speed down, but not all of these A9 deaths are caused by speeding, a lot is down to poorly judged overtaking.

I'm sure it will help in some respect though. It will certainly swell the coffers in terms of fines!

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Not sure what difference this will make as (speaking for myself) I tend to be stuck at 40-50 mph for miles with wee blasts of 70-80 mph on the dual carriageways and as you say, most accidents appear to take place on blind bends or where dual carriageways merge into single carriageways.

Always found it strange that the A9 has so few speed cameras (with most of them switched off) compared with the A90.

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Always found it strange that the A9 has so few speed cameras (with most of them switched off) compared with the A90.

Something to do with Northern Police (before the new incarnation) believing in using mobile cameras, because drivers on the A9 on the whole tend to be regular drivers (truckers etc) and they would know where the cameras were and slow down, which is their argument for using the sneaky mobile ones. That's why the last camera is in the old Tayside region. There was talk of that all changing when it became Police Scotland but no more word on it.

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Any word on locations of these? I only use this road as far North as Perth so hopefully there's none on that stretch - it's already dual-carriageway after all.

Dunblane to Inverness

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, because drivers on the A9 on the whole tend to be regular drivers (truckers etc) and they would know where the cameras were and slow down,

Given that they are safety cameras and the result would be traffic slowing down at blackspots, wouldn't that be a good idea?

Anybody would think the cameras are nothing to do with safety at all.

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Given that they are safety cameras and the result would be traffic slowing down at blackspots, wouldn't that be a good idea?

Anybody would think the cameras are nothing to do with safety at all.

The majority of accidents on that road are not caused by people speeding, they're caused by fuckwits trying to overtake without properly thinking it through.

A good driver going at 75mph on that road is a far safer proposition that an awful driver going at 55mph.

However, catching people for speeding is a far more effective way of sponging money from drivers, so that's how it'll always be.

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Given that they are safety cameras and the result would be traffic slowing down at blackspots, wouldn't that be a good idea?

Anybody would think the cameras are nothing to do with safety at all.

Stewarty's answered the point in the main, but yes it would slow them down at blackspots. What we'd end up with are blackspots in different places.

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Given that they are safety cameras and the result would be traffic slowing down at blackspots, wouldn't that be a good idea?

Anybody would think the cameras are nothing to do with safety at all.

Won't people just speed up and overtake at places that aren't blackspots?

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I'm a Hgv driver who occasional uses this road with the main problem being the 40mph speed limit for me but even if it was increased to 50mph I still think it wouldn't be fast enough for some drivers !

Sent from my HTC Desire using Pie & Bovril mobile app

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The seethe regarding speed limitations is hilarious. Speeding is an offence, accept the penalties or don't do it.

Personally I look forward to when all transport is computer controlled and no-one has manual control of a vehicle. It'll be safe, efficient, save millions (billions) of pounds and ecologically friendly.

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Can we not put the money towards duelling it a bit faster?

Would agree with that.

The seethe regarding speed limitations is hilarious. Speeding is an offence, accept the penalties or don't do it.

Personally I look forward to when all transport is computer controlled and no-one has manual control of a vehicle. It'll be safe, efficient, save millions (billions) of pounds and ecologically friendly.

I don't see any seethe about speed limiting. I see discussions about whether this is the most effective way of reducing deaths on that road. I agree with your viewpoint on speeding.

On your second point, you can look forward to it but you'll be pusing up the daisies long before that ever happens :P

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ie, where it's safer?

Will they necessarily be safer if more traffic overtakes in those areas? It just seems like pushing the problem from one stretch of the road to another stretch a few miles away.

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I like speed, but only in the right places. Ever tried driving at 70mph on most motorways? You end up with cars streaming past you, and yet none of them seem to die. Why? Because speeding itself is not inherently bad. Speeding inappropriately is bad. So for example, I am all in favour of 20mph speed limits in towns, and I can see the value of speed cameras to reduce speeding in accident blackspots.

However, the majority of motorway and dual carriageway is probably amongst the safest road in the country. And yet people quite happily drive it at 90+ without any problems. The motorway speed limit should be increased to 90 imo. In this case, stopping people from being able to overtake in the few safe spots is going to do no good whatsoever.

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I like speed, but only in the right places. Ever tried driving at 70mph on most motorways? You end up with cars streaming past you, and yet none of them seem to die. Why? Because speeding itself is not inherently bad. Speeding inappropriately is bad. So for example, I am all in favour of 20mph speed limits in towns, and I can see the value of speed cameras to reduce speeding in accident blackspots.

However, the majority of motorway and dual carriageway is probably amongst the safest road in the country. And yet people quite happily drive it at 90+ without any problems. The motorway speed limit should be increased to 90 imo. In this case, stopping people from being able to overtake in the few safe spots is going to do no good whatsoever.

I agree again. The speed limits have been in place for many, many years. Cars have become far more advanced in terms of braking and safety features since then. The national speed limits need a radical overhaul in my opinion. An earlier poster mentioned 40mph for truckers caused issues, and there has been much debate about that recently.Newsnight Scotland had a couple of motoring organisation reps on a couple of weeks ago after the latest fatality discussing that point.

Having said all that, having a highers speed limit, and all the technology in the world in the vehicle, won't help if the driver is a complete fuckwit who cannot judge conditions and adjust speed accordingly.

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I don't see any seethe about speed limiting. I see discussions about whether this is the most effective way of reducing deaths on that road. I agree with your viewpoint on speeding.

Yeah, sorry Ruggy I wasn't meaning you were seething, more than it is a seethe issue on here. The most effective way of reducing deaths is to stop people driving and taking cars of the road.

On your second point, you can look forward to it but you'll be pusing up the daisies long before that ever happens :P

Maybe, you never know your luck I might outlive the lot of you.. ;)

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The main problem with the A9 is frustration on single carriage way stretches, leading to dangerous driving and accidents.

Can't see these cameras reducing the death toll significantly although if the money raised could go back toward improving the road it would be something, but it goes straight to Westminster, never to be seen again.

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