Camera not in use CCTV take your litter home

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woodlea1
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Camera not in use CCTV take your litter home

Post by woodlea1 »

I frequently use the M3 between Southampton and Winchester and wonder how the use of CCTV helps me take my litter home! ...... especially as when I drive pass each camera I'm told its not in use!

Seriously, who needs to know a camera is not in use? Cameras are intended to be an enforcement tool to encourage drivers to keep to the speed limit. Conversely telling drivers the cameras are not in use will encourage some drivers to drive as fast as they like.

What sort of CCTV takes my litter home or captures me throwing litter out of my car window? Surely not speed control cameras? Has anyone ever been prosecuted after being caught littering on CCTV?
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Chris5156
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Re: Camera not in use CCTV take your litter home

Post by Chris5156 »

woodlea1 wrote: Sun Jan 16, 2022 21:09What sort of CCTV takes my litter home or captures me throwing litter out of my car window? Surely not speed control cameras?
No, speed cameras are not CCTV cameras, and CCTV cameras are not speed cameras. Most motorways have CCTV coverage to some degree, especially around junctions which is where most rubbish gets dumped. If you're spotted dumping rubbish, the CCTV footage could be used as evidence for prosecution. In reality that's more likely to be used to tackle fly tipping, not someone chucking a crisp packet out of the window, though I'd strongly advise you not to throw crisp packets out of the window anyway :wink:
JoshBostock01
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Re: Camera not in use CCTV take your litter home

Post by JoshBostock01 »

I am not a legal expert but I have a strong feeling that the signs are probably madatory from a legal perspective. We also had "sign/gantry not in use" during the Queensferry Construction which was also completely unnecessary since the the gantry was blank.

I have no idea what you are referring to with the litter though. Could you expain in more detail what the signs actually look like and say?
jnty
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Re: Camera not in use CCTV take your litter home

Post by jnty »

I generally agree that bagging out of use speed cameras and using "speed camera not in use" signs is a bit odd, however if this is where I'm thinking of - on this section of the M3 where you (might have) just turned off the M27 where it's at 50mph due to roadworks, it sort of makes sense to emphasise that the motorway is back at NSL and the cameras don't indicate that it's still a temporary 50. An NSL repeater might make more practical sense here though.
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Owain
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Re: Camera not in use CCTV take your litter home

Post by Owain »

jnty wrote: Sun Jan 16, 2022 21:27 I generally agree that bagging out of use speed cameras and using "speed camera not in use" signs is a bit odd, however if this is where I'm thinking of - on this section of the M3 where you (might have) just turned off the M27 where it's at 50mph due to roadworks, it sort of makes sense to emphasise that the motorway is back at NSL and the cameras don't indicate that it's still a temporary 50. An NSL repeater might make more practical sense here though.
I'm sure somebody on here once suggested that "camera not in use" signs were intended to discourage panic braking. I have no idea whether that is true or not, but it never ceases to amaze me how many drivers will brake for average speed cameras, as though they don't know what the word 'average' means.
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WHBM
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Re: Camera not in use CCTV take your litter home

Post by WHBM »

Owain wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 22:58 I'm sure somebody on here once suggested that "camera not in use" signs were intended to discourage panic braking. I have no idea whether that is true or not, but it never ceases to amaze me how many drivers will brake for average speed cameras, as though they don't know what the word 'average' means.
I believe you are correct and there was even a court case where a sudden-braker was hit from behind by a follow-too-closer, and they both tried (and maybe succeeded) to stick it on the safety partnership for installing a camera housing that was not yet switched on.

The A13 average speed cameras across East London are a classic for people braking at the camera, but then apart from us lot there's not a lot of knowledge about which types look like which. It's not as if the signage is well maintained, is it ... ?

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jnty
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Re: Camera not in use CCTV take your litter home

Post by jnty »

Owain wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 22:58
jnty wrote: Sun Jan 16, 2022 21:27 I generally agree that bagging out of use speed cameras and using "speed camera not in use" signs is a bit odd, however if this is where I'm thinking of - on this section of the M3 where you (might have) just turned off the M27 where it's at 50mph due to roadworks, it sort of makes sense to emphasise that the motorway is back at NSL and the cameras don't indicate that it's still a temporary 50. An NSL repeater might make more practical sense here though.
I'm sure somebody on here once suggested that "camera not in use" signs were intended to discourage panic braking. I have no idea whether that is true or not, but it never ceases to amaze me how many drivers will brake for average speed cameras, as though they don't know what the word 'average' means.
That's what I assume, but then surely the same problem applies when the camera is actually in use? I can maybe see the argument for a "familiarisation period" so that regular drivers don't slam on the brakes - but then if they get used to it being out of use, surely you end up with the same problem when it goes?

As I say, however, this is a bit of an exception - temporary average speed cameras on this section of motorway scream "50mph" - so I can really see the use of it here. But that's a very rare situation and clearly doesn't apply for permanent installations.
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Helvellyn
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Re: Camera not in use CCTV take your litter home

Post by Helvellyn »

Owain wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 22:58
I'm sure somebody on here once suggested that "camera not in use" signs were intended to discourage panic braking. I have no idea whether that is true or not, but it never ceases to amaze me how many drivers will brake for average speed cameras, as though they don't know what the word 'average' means.
At a guess they might think it's the average speed they pass each camera at - 70 at the first, 50 at the second, average 60. Yes, we all know on here it's not that but it wouldn't surprise me if some people think it is.
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