A9 Average Speed Cameras

[shull]

They'll be switched on in a few weeks.

They are located between Dunblane & Inverness.

Hope they do the job, although upgrading the whole road to motorway status also might help.

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/perth-kinross/a9-average-speed-cameras-to-be-switched-on-towards-end-of-the-month-1.620204

[Isle Of Bute Saint]

Having used these average speed cameras on a few occasions especially on a long run I found them to be dangerous. Driving for a good few hours then all of a sudden you have to sit at the same speed for another few hours has a danger of sending you to sleep that's my experience.

Last time I went up to the Ross County game went the scenic route up through Loch Lomond , Fort William , Inverness. More interesting drive , wonderful scenery , best of all it did not take any longer than going up the A9 and now with average speed cameras its probably quicker.

[TopCat]

Won't make the road any safer IMO.

Accidents are mainly caused on that road by frustrated drivers trying risky overtaking manoeuvres. Average speed cameras won't stop that.

[Guest TPAFKATS]

I think they are upgrading the road shull? Dual carriageway until Inverness is the plan, although it'll take a while.

[scrappy coco]

Seen them on the way to McDiarmid park last week, thought they were temporary for the Ryder cup,

All good and well if they saves lives, but can't help thinking it's no more than another money making scheme.

[shull]

Seen them on the way to McDiarmid park last week, thought they were temporary for the Ryder cup,

All good and well if they saves lives, but can't help thinking it's no more than another money making scheme.

They'll make no money if nobody speeds.

Simplistic I know, but true.

[Tommy]

HGV can now do 50mph instead of 40mph which will help on the single carriageway of the road, which might reduce some overtaking.

[Guest TPAFKATS]

Seen them on the way to McDiarmid park last week, thought they were temporary for the Ryder cup,

All good and well if they saves lives, but can't help thinking it's no more than another money making scheme.

I don't use the road much and certainly don't travel past Perth on A9. The stretch from Dunblane to Perth has had a few safety features incorporated in last decade which would make me wonder why they need the cameras on that section?

[saintnextlifetime]

I have always been of the opinion that roads , cars and big trucks don't kill people , it is people that kill people how a set of cameras will change anything apart from a revenue flow , beats me. .

[Bud the Baker]

They'll make no money if nobody speeds.

Simplistic I know, but true.

If nobody speeds then there'll be less accidents and the money saved will dwarf what will be raised in fines.

Any more Colonel Blimp/Daily Mail opinions you need debunked?

[pod]

Having used these average speed cameras on a few occasions especially on a long run I found them to be dangerous. Driving for a good few hours then all of a sudden you have to sit at the same speed for another few hours has a danger of sending you to sleep that's my experience.

Last time I went up to the Ross County game went the scenic route up through Loch Lomond , Fort William , Inverness. More interesting drive , wonderful scenery , best of all it did not take any longer than going up the A9 and now with average speed cameras its probably quicker.

Don't use them when your driving then.

[pod]

Having used these average speed cameras on a few occasions especially on a long run I found them to be dangerous. Driving for a good few hours then all of a sudden you have to sit at the same speed for another few hours has a danger of sending you to sleep that's my experience.

Last time I went up to the Ross County game went the scenic route up through Loch Lomond , Fort William , Inverness. More interesting drive , wonderful scenery , best of all it did not take any longer than going up the A9 and now with average speed cameras its probably quicker.

That's why they put up these signs and suggest you should have a break

Edited October 11, 2014 by pod

[thomsons dropped it]

Won't make the road any safer IMO.

Accidents are mainly caused on that road by frustrated drivers trying risky overtaking manoeuvres. Average speed cameras won't stop that.

Local A and E Surgeons reckon they will see more folk coming in as a result of increased frustration among drivers who are willing to do dangerous overtaking manoeuvres so that they can get back to a speed which will not be picked up by these cameras. I know a few local Police ,one a Traffic Officer ,who thinks much the same. Police will never admit that these cameras are not the answer.....not in Public anyway.

[thomsons dropped it]

If nobody speeds then there'll be less accidents and the money saved will dwarf what will be raised in fines.

Any more Colonel Blimp/Daily Mail opinions you need debunked?

Dangerous overtaking is responsible for most of the accidents on this road, a good number caused by people overtaking and not getting back in to their own side of the road.Dithering while making said overtaking manoeuvres and generally not having common road sense also are big contributory factors also.

[Bud the Baker]

Dangerous overtaking is responsible for most of the accidents on this road, a good number caused by people overtaking and not getting back in to their own side of the road.Dithering while making said overtaking manoeuvres and generally not having common road sense also are big contributory factors also.

I'm not denying this merely challenging shull's assertion (or my interpretation of it anyway) that the introduction of thse cameras is a stealth tax and if speed restrictions deter people from overtaking then it'll reduce accidents and save money.

Actually on second thoughts I reckon overconfident drivers probably cause their fair share of accidents too..............

Edited October 11, 2014 by Bud the Baker

[north isles saint]

Travelled down & up the A9 quite a lot over the past 5-6 year while sons have been in Glasgow at Uni, and to see the Mighty Saints.

Honestly not surprised there are so many accidents on this stretch of road. The sooner they get the whole Perth/Inverness dual carriageway the better, not really because the 'road is a bad road' - it's the drivers who cause the problems!

Approaching dual sections is like the wacky races and as you get to the end and go back to single lane some drivers just have to try and go past one last car! Some of the overtaking absolutely beggars belief.

I think they plan to dual the whole section by 2025 or something.

Will the Av Speed Cameras help the situation, I very much doubt it. Clamping down on the 'crazy drivers' would be a good starting point.

[shull]

One Year Ban for tailgaters on any road.

[Isle Of Bute Saint]

That's why they put up these signs tiredness can kill.jpg and suggest you should have a break

That's why they put up these signs tiredness can kill.jpg and suggest you should have a break

What an intelligent person you are.

[thomsons dropped it]

I'm not denying this merely challenging shull's assertion (or my interpretation of it anyway) that the introduction of thse cameras is a stealth tax and if speed restrictions deter people from overtaking then it'll reduce accidents and save money.

Actually on second thoughts I reckon overconfident drivers probably cause their fair share of accidents too..............

I really hope the accidents reduce but when the people who Police the road are not confident then we can only hope they are wrong.

I think we can all agree the Dualling of the road is many years overdue. If you think the A9 is bad, just wait if you ever have to go down the A96 to Aberdeen from Inverness

[davidg]

Load of pish, won't help at all. Dual carriageway required.

[Callum Gilhooley]

Road should be upgraded to motorway standard & 80 mph limit applied.

[erskinebud]

I use the A9 occasionally. Last time I did, the cameras were causing massive tailbacks as, despite there being signs stating the cameras were not in use, most drivers sat around 50 as they thought the cameras were live and they were unsure of speed limit for each stretch of road. Whenever there was a truck or caravan in the mix, the queue slowed to 35/40mph. Overtaking was impossible as there was a fairly solid line as far as the road let you see. Occasionally frustration caused some idiot to "have a go" and after passing several cars they would then have to force their way back in to avoid head on collisions. My journey which usually takes 3hrs 15mins or so took 4hrs 30mins!

Yes, I arrived safely despite the slow journey, but I can guarantee the frustration brought on by the queues the cameras cause will mean some others don't arrive in one piece!

[Bud the Baker]

Um, thought I'd do a wee google on A9 speed cameras and came up with this editorial.....

http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/herald-view/case-for-average-speed-cameras-on-the-a9-x.23844677

Herald View

This has been a controversial proposal since ministers announced their plans last summer. But it is misguided to suggest that the Scottish Government should not press ahead with the measure.

Opponents of the introduction of the cameras on sections of the road that are not dual carriageway have introduced a petition to the Scottish Parliament calling for a debate in the chamber and a moratorium while other options are considered.

The petitions committee is a very useful option to allow the public to introduce concerns to Holyrood. But the committee has to be used properly. Its function is not to stall the introduction of policy. If any of a government's actions could be stalled simply by submitting a petition, we would be lucky to see our representatives achieve anything at all.

That does not mean the policy should not be scrutinised. But, given that it is (or should be) a short-term measure, putting it on hold is potentially counterproductive. While the long-term plan is to dual all the remaining single carriageway sections of the notorious A9, this will not be finished until 2025 and work will not begin until next year at the earliest.

There is good evidence that average speed cameras save lives. The system introduced on the A77 in Ayrshire has cut fatal accidents by 46% and non-fatal but serious crashes by 35%.

Yet critics say the research on average speed cameras is flawed and does not apply to the A9. It is driver frustration and bad decisions that give the A9 its deadly reputation, they argue. Impatient drivers overtaking slow moving traffic are the culprits.

The group behind the petition (A9 Average Speed Cameras are not the Answer) claims average speeds on the A9 are well below the legal limit at 58mph. Therefore, average speeds cameras will not help.

If that evidence is sound then campaigners should come forward with it. It invites further analysis.

On the surface, the claim appears implausible. Whenever mobile speed cameras are deployed along the route they catch hundreds of speeding motorists.

In January, The Herald reported that one speed camera unit north of Dunblane had issued 4000 tickets in a year to drivers travelling at 70mph. So speeding on the road is plainly a problem.

It is vital cameras are there for the right reasons. Public support depends on this, and is weakened where cameras appear to be used to generate revenue rather than to improve safety.

But the frustration drivers experience, which leads to dangerous overtaking, may well be removed by the knowledge that average speed cameras are in operation anyway.

The long-term solution to safety on the A9 is widely acknowledged to be the introduction of dual carriageways along the road.

That cannot be achieved immediately so, in the meantime, average speed cameras are a welcome step towards short-term safety.

Seems to answer all the objections to me...............

Edited October 12, 2014 by Bud the Baker

[davidg]

Strange article above.

The section it mentions isn't part of the average speed plan and is dual carriageway. The comparisons with the A77 is also a poor one as it is dual carriageway already unlike most of the average speed sections of the A9.

The mobile camera point north of Dunblane is situated at a 70mph stretch of dual carriageway. Don't know how 4000 drivers managed to get a fine for driving at the speed limit....

I personally don't think average speed cameras are a short term safety answer. When stuck in a queue on this road your speed is nowhere near 60mph so you will still have the same number of impatient drivers trying to overtake on these single carriageway sections. You'll still have e the same number of foreign tourists struggling with the change dual to single carriageway at several points.

[Bud the Baker]

Strange article above.

The section it mentions isn't part of the average speed plan and is dual carriageway. The comparisons with the A77 is also a poor one as it is dual carriageway already unlike most of the average speed sections of the A9.

The mobile camera point north of Dunblane is situated at a 70mph stretch of dual carriageway. Don't know how 4000 drivers managed to get a fine for driving at the speed limit....

I personally don't think average speed cameras are a short term safety answer. When stuck in a queue on this road your speed is nowhere near 60mph so you will still have the same number of impatient drivers trying to overtake on these single carriageway sections. You'll still have e the same number of foreign tourists struggling with the change dual to single carriageway at several points.

Going back to the original article.............

The £2.5million project has seen bright yellow camera units set up at 27 sites along the A9 route.

Perhaps I'm making an assumption in thinking that these sites would be the single lane sections but I don't see how it can do any harm. It's been a few years since I've driven up that way but if it's anything like what happened on the A77 which I am familiar with it'll be a great improvement and where despite the same arguments being used to oppose the use of these cameras it clearly has worked.

Edited October 12, 2014 by Bud the Baker