| Road traffic safety initiative |
This road safety initiative was conducted on an M1 resurfacing contract between Junctions 20 and 21 for nine months from July 8th 2005. The aim of the initiative was to provide a safe environment for both the workforce and the travelling members of the public. The intention was to bring about a sea-change in drivers’ attitudes – which had not happened in a number of other schemes.
The problems with other systems were identified as:
? Barriers do not prevent speeding.
? Signage will not stop all speeding and loses its effectiveness with time.
? The traditional speed camera (GATSO) leads to:
o tailbacks / congestion
o high levels of driver prosecution / frustration
o poor levels of workforce protection
o dangerous practice of acceleration and braking between cameras leading to accidents and reducing the steady flow of traffic.
These issues were addressed by adopting a SPECS average speed enforcement system. The average speed of motorists was monitored by cameras and signalled by number plate recognition and display units.
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