Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Safety Camera Partnership have this week begun switching their new red light cameras on.
However, these red light cameras are different from previous ones…
Previously, red light cameras were designed — as the name suggests — to catch Drivers jumping red lights…
However the new versions being installed are *also* Speed Cameras!
The new cameras have been on trial around the UK for a few months now, but are now being rolled out.
They’re called “speed on green” cameras and they’re designed to catch both Drivers who jump a red light *and/or* exceed the speed limit when the lights are green!
The first camera to get switched on (this week) is on the busy A563 Glenhills Way in Leicester.
There are two other cameras due to be switched (on the A5460 and A6) in the coming weeks.
These will be followed by another 147 cameras in the near future in this area alone.
I strongly suggest all BTST Members treat traffic lights with a red light camera as if they are a Speed Camera from now on…
All the best,
Adam
P.S. We’re making good progress with the development of “TALEX 3”.
We’re doing it right rather than fast so I don’t want to make any predictions on when it will be ready yet, but lets just say it’s looking good!
Let the community know your thoughts on these “speed on green” speed cameras below:
With the traffic on the A47 Hardwick roundabout on Saturday’s I welcome any method to stop the red light jumbers and the drivers who block the box junction. from Easter to the end of August it is a nightmare and the council just ignor the problem.
They were switched on in Sussex {Brighton} some time ago. I did let you know!
Well, what a surprise! Another money making racket from Leics police. I agree that drivers jumping the red lights should be caught but how about using the same cameras to catch the many drivers in Leics who block the intersections clearly marked with yellow road markings. They seem to be able to get away with this and cause horrendous tailbacks, tempting the odd driver who has been waiting an age to jump the lights when he/she eventually gets there.
OK, 1700 people per year die on the roads. Most of these are on mobiles or uninsured or stolen cars. 15% are driving too fast of which <5% are breaking the speed limit. That's not many deaths!
55,000 die from traffic pollution each year. Something tells me the country is targeting the wrong area of road safety!!
And only 800 died in their cars of which at least 100 were not wearing a seat belt. A campaign to wear seatbelts would save more lives that traffic light speeding cameras.
Just another money making exercise that will spell danger for tailgaters. So will you be making rear camera’s as well as T3.
I just realised no one else knows yet so thanks for the heads up.
I wish there was a good speed camera detector to buy and permanently hardwire in the car, so I don’t have to remember to turn on or set it up every time. The only one Road Angel is expensive per year (£150 per year I have one), and had problems with the automatic updates. Not super accurate also. So I got rid of it.
Do you have anything good Adam?
yet more money from the motorist
Thats great news 9 points for the red light jumping and now points for speeding as well with min of 3 points instant ban for idiots, driving just gets better. Speed kills so doea jumping red lights im all for them.
Thanks for letting me know of these lights ,but if drivers go over the traffic lights on red they should be find and have points on there Licence they are a danger to other Drivers.
Yet another money making venture. With the number of motorists who are fined being so high if there was credible evidence that exceeding the limit was dangerous other means to reduce traffic speeds should be employed! Average speed cameras seem to have a much greater effect on traffic speeds than normal cameras.
As the police have not done enough to reduce speeding perhaps a counter claim for aiding and abetting could be filed next time anybody get a ticket!!!
Nothing new there been in Nottinghamshire for at least 10 years!
The back of the camera has to be painted yellow
We got caught by 1 of these last year on the A580 near Manchester, it was a 3 lane duel carriageway that quickly filtered into 2 as you cleared the lights so we sped up to 45 and got caught! Our bad, instead of slowing down to 20 (throwing the cars behind us under the bus, so to speak) and waiting for a gap in lane 2 to open. Fair enough we exceeded the limit, fair cop. I do however take offence to personally being N.I.P’d for speeding at 45 on a virtually straight country lane with 2 houses within a mile stretch, having turned off a clearly marked 50 speed area onto an unmarked stretch by an unmarked car. When I appealed it I was told that the road has gateway signs at the other end (really helpful when I wasn’t travelling that way)! And that the highway code (written nearly 100 years ago and I studied 35 years ago) clearly states that if there are lamp posts (Or indeed illumination) on either side of the road that are less than 185 yards apart and the road is unmarked it automatically defaults to a 30! I attended a speed awareness course and was dumbfounded to find how many of the people were on the course for exactly the same reason & how much of the course content was given over to this very piece of obscure legislation!! And, that this legislation dates back to a time when a man had to walk in front of the car waving a flag and they were deciding how to set the limits, they went with street lighting because these were typically in place in more built up areas!! Now tell me that isn’t an indirect tax!! Please Beware!! Sorry for the rant!! Back to the racetrack now! :)
I have noticed recently in varable speed limit areas of motorway the signs are on showing the national speed limit sign not at the end of a restricfion but all the way down the stretch every sign on m1 the other week on at national sleed limit sign so I expect they are measuring speed at 70mph watch out.
Interesting to note that there is a stage in the us cant remeber which thst is getting rid of these redlight/speed on green cameras due to the accidents they cause and were just starting to roll them out.
Surrey Police have had a similar set of cameras on the A322 Windlesham cross roads close to the Bagshot Junction of M3, heading towards Bracknell and Windsor. These have been in operation for at least five years.
BEEN IN PLYMOUTH FOR THE LAST THREE ODD YEARS, HALF OF PLYMOUTH HAVE TICKETS TO PROVE IT!!!!!
Nothing more than revenue generation.
Imagine the impact which could be made on the same efforts and investment made in to drug detection and prosecution. There are hundreds of thousands of lives blighted by drugs every year but nothing quite like the same effort applied as there is against motorists. At a guess for every excessively stupid motorist there’s 50 people involved with drug crime.
Can’t see a lot wrong with this. Jumping a red light is illegal. Speeding is illegal. Am I missing something here?
If you use “Waze” it picks these Re cameras up
Typical of today’s cture in the UK
Sneaky
Spiteful
Money-grabbing
….and….cowardly.
It’s easy to rob drivers like this. Not so easy to go after real criminals and dangerous people. Spineless UK continues.
Well said and totally accurate.
I don’t have a problem with red lighg cameras. Tough it was red, oh and by the way what does green mean? It’s not GO by the way. Answers in the Highway Code.
All of these ‘safety measures’ are in reality tax collection by the back door. All that will eventually happen is that fewer and fewer people will learn to drive, resulting in even fewer cars being sold in the UK. As a result of this, the law of unintended consequences will come into play and the government will see a considerably reduced tax take from the motoring public, which had hitherto been treated as a cash cow, just there to milk. I’ve recently been watching a programme about a police motor vehicle workshop and it would seem that judging by the sheer number of police vehicle wright offs in just one three month period, it isn’t the general public the governing bodies need to worry about, but, the somewhat ‘cavalier’ attitude of official police drivers.
These cameras were rolled out in the Croydon and Sutton (Surrey) area years ago, to generate more revenue for the local authorities.
This will be yet another location where many drivers will automatically brake anyway without checking if they are over the limit, just in case as a sort of auto response, increasing the risk of someone behind swerving or colliding with them. Yes I know the guy behind should not be that close and should be paying attention, but reality is that unexpected braking does increase the chance of an accident.
This sounds like a really good use of technology. Jumping a red light is dangerous and very annoying to other drivers and as for speed through a junction…well, yes, this is the last place driver should be speeding! Personally, I think every set of traffic lights needs a set of these cameras.
If it stops Amber Gamblers who accelerate to well above the speed limit to get through just as they are changing, then I’m in favour. (The number of times I’ve nearly been swiped off my motorcycle by those twats in Bristol is uncountable on both hands – Normally they end up running through the lights when red doing about 40, after I’ve started pulling away, even though there are red-light cameras, they are currently switched off in that spot)
However, that probably isn’t the reason they are being installed in other places. It’s all about making money.
When the red light cameras were operative, I actually crossed the white line on a red light a few years ago, to make room for an emergency vehicle. The bastards still sent me the fine, or option to go on a SPEED awareness course?
I challenged it by letter mentioning the ambulance, and the fact I wasn’t actually speeding, but it was upheld (They told me the ambulance drivers were trained to navigate through static traffic, and I should not have crossed the line), and I was told that I could either challenge it again in court, or pay £80 to do the course.
I paid £80, and sat in the course taking the piss all day – wankers.
Recently on my motorcycle, again this time I had a police car behind me at lights, with his blues and twos going full blast. I just sat there without moving. Feck em.
I will probably get a summons for obstruction now. If it happens I will go to court this time, and expose them for the lying, cheating, swindling bastrads (sic) that they are.
There does seem to have been an increase in people jumping red lights. The other day I didn’t have time to turn right at the traffic lights in Bristol because of it.
However when they make these changes they should let people know!
Another thing I have trouble with is the use of 30 MPH and 20 MPH limits. If 20 MPH limits are going to be rigidly enforced (eg using traffic light cameras), they should use 20 MPH repeater signs on the lamp posts. Otherwise after sitting in a traffic jam for half an hour, or after doing the shopping – people tend to forget what the limit is!
Very difficult to concentrate on both your speed AND the traffic lights going through what may be a busy and complex junction. Just too many things vying for your total attention – can’t be done.
I always assumed that they were also speed cameras. I never jump lights as I live near a junction where there are frequent accidents, several fatal over the years. I see near misses all the time. The local police say it is not Lancashire Authority’s policy. Some people are crazy. I saw a woman miss being hit by a truck and she laughed. Crazy.
I got caught on a camera on the east Lancs that was a red light camera and it was a 50 mile an hour area they reduced it down to 40 mph but there was no signs saying speed camera I got caught at 47 mph I had to do a driving awareness test . Some two months later I got caught yet again driving out of Manchester on a dual carriage way doing 38 mph and they have a van hidden behind some trees and caught me speeding as they said it was 30 mph they did say to me .I could not do another course because within three years of the last course I was carjack two years ago and the police did not want know .to speeding drivers we are just a cash cow . yes did catch the people who did it but they got away with it no punishment joke . The police especially in the Greater Manchester area are just concerned about money and the motorist is an easy target as I said Cashcow regards Mr Entwistle
Thank you for keeping your finger on the pulse and keeping the rest of us in the loop, it is appreciated.
As a point of interest, I find plodding along lane one at 55-60 MPH to be very calming, no stress, I like that.
I live in Worsley, Salford. (Next door to Manchester). We have had these a little while now on the East Lancashire Road. Just another tax on the motorist.
apart from jumping red lights which I believe is extremely dangerous, this move just goes to show that drivers are being better behaved generally and the police are getting less income. So they are to find ways to increase this by this money making move. Each time we, as drivers, are better behaved on the roads, they will find more ways to catch us out and make money. I do not advocate speeding or jumping lights. Just as an indication of money making, there is a village called Draycott in the Clay bear Burton on Trent. Despite it being a small place, it will only take you 1 minute to pass it by, there are 6, YES 6!, fixed speed cameras in the village precinct of the village. There is a 40mph speed limit which is reasonable in the circumstances, but some of the cameras are carefully placed to trick you and catch you out before you slow down enough. Money making in it’s most baltant form!
Always thought they were also speed cameras. My Talex usually gives a speed limit for red light cameras.
Agree about the dangers caused. It often puts right turning drivers in a predicament too, stuck in the middle of a junction either having to block the road or turn on red. More importantly nothing, repeat nothing, is being done to provide education about dangerous driving habits along with means of reinforcement, much of which occurs within the speed limit and is the source of probably the major percentage of accidents.
The latest motorway cameras are sophisticated pieces of kit, so why not pursue a tail-gating campaign with a view to educate? The same could be done via junction cameras. In other words, don’t simply fine and add points, but educate and demand change! I’d be happy to pay for and take a regular refresher driving test designed to weed out bad habits. This could be used to implement a system whereby poor observational skills and potentially dangerous driving habits require a mandatory driver awareness course to be paid for and eventually for the driver to be retested.
That would not only potentially make vast improvements to the safety on roads, but could become a multi million pound business, instead of ignoring the real issue and concentrating on easy revenue raising.
Anyone up for supporting that idea?
Yes, this sounds very good and reasonable. It should be about educating the driver who is a bit rusty on the latest driving techniques and latest dangers on the road are always changing.
Instead of fining all drivers, the Cyclists need training and the Pedestrians who also walk out into the road without doing the old school (Green Cross Code) meaning don’t look on your mobile, but look up on the road left and right before you cross and while you cross. If it’s too dangerous don’t cross and wait for it to be safe. This is what they are telling drivers, be patient and slow down.
Well, all road users have the same responsibility so we can all learn! Because we all use the roads don’t we, whether drivers, cyclists, motorcycle or pedestrian, why should it be Car drivers only getting fined! Not fair is it?!
I e-mailed about this months ago, but never got a reply so just presumed it was heresay, I think they’re a waste of money as I cant see many people speeding through a set of traffic lights, but then again there’s plenty of nutters on the road, as car crash tv proves daily
Do these red light / speed cameras only check your speed when approaching the traffic lights on green, also do they flash if you are speeding.?…
They are just so intent at getting money from drivers in the end no one will have a clean license, it’s just so much easier than catching criminals
I’ve known about them for quite a while now Adam. I got caught about 12 – 14 months ago but never heard any more about the offence. I assumed it had gone off accidentally but on further investigation, was told that these were on trial for future use but could not find out any more info or how far into the future they would be coming in.
Looks like they’re here to stay now.
Thanks for the info.
J.Bruce
I was snapped by one of these 5 years ago – also in Plymouth, so maybe Devon & Cornwall Police were amongst the first to implement them! On investigation I discovered legislation for dual-purpose cameras was passed in 2012, so it’s taken a while for it to be more widely known.
Sounds like we should all stop driving & hire the driverless car to pick up all the points! This is Big brother gone too far!
I think it is time the “authorities” got a bit more honest. These camera systems are all about income generation!!! Perhaps it is time for a change in the law. That “fines” can be generated by automated devices but POINTS can only be issued by a court. So if you are a few MPH above the limit it is a fixed penalty which presumably goes to the camera partnership. If you are a significant amount over the limit then it is a court case and the five goes to the treasury! You would very quickly see a redefinition of the discretionary overs-peed allowed, currently +10% +3mph as it would impact on their income.
Thanks I am a mother and very busy! This helped me alot!