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Smart Motorways Catch More Than 1,000 Speeding Drivers a Week

posted by CoolHand on Monday November 07 2016, @10:39PM   Printer-friendly
from the big-bro-on-the-road dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

More than 1,000 motorists a week are being caught speeding on the UK's smart motorways, police figures suggest.

Last year, 52,516 fixed penalties were issued on 11 smart sections, including on stretches of the M1, M25 and M6.

This compared to 2,023 on the same stretches in 2010-11, before they were upgraded to smart motorways - which use the hard shoulder and variable speed limits to control traffic flow.

The government says they are used to improve capacity, not generate revenue.

Smart motorways are operated by Highways England, which uses overhead gantries - also containing speed cameras - to direct traffic into open lanes and change speed limits depending on the volume of traffic.

Ticket revenue has increased tenfold over 5 years. Have British drivers experienced the "improved capacity" that the government uses to justify the smart highways?

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  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 07 2016, @10:57PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 07 2016, @10:57PM (#423817)

    >Have British drivers experienced the "improved capacity" that the government uses to justify the smart highways?
    I sped faster now. It's not a ticket; it's just a toll.

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  • (Score: 2) by isostatic on Monday November 07 2016, @11:34PM

    by isostatic (365) on Monday November 07 2016, @11:34PM (#423842) Journal

    You know you get 3 points too right? 5 speeding fines in 3 years and you're banned.

  • (Score: 2) by Unixnut on Monday November 07 2016, @11:50PM

    by Unixnut (5779) on Monday November 07 2016, @11:50PM (#423846)

    It is a bit of a perverse incentive, I admit. Also when I read this:

    "The government says they are used to improve capacity, not generate revenue."

    I was reminded of the saying "Nothing is ever confirmed as truth until it is officially denied".

    Saying that, I have never actually got a ticket on the variable speed motorways. I am hopeful that it is because in the stupidly early hours of the morning on an empty road, they actually turn the blasted things off.

    Either that, or I have so much luck in my life, that I should start playing the lottery...

  • (Score: 2) by davester666 on Tuesday November 08 2016, @08:43AM

    by davester666 (155) on Tuesday November 08 2016, @08:43AM (#423975)

    Revenue is up an order of magnitude over 5 years but it's not about generating revenue? Right.

    Just like my city went from $5mil/year to $50mil/year in traffic tickets "for safety, not for revenue".

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 08 2016, @03:13PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 08 2016, @03:13PM (#424091)

      Seems legit, driver intelligence just dropped 2 orders of magnitude.