In just three weeks, new digital SPECS speed averaging cameras have generated 84,000 tickets and £5 million (US $9.6 million) in revenue. Unlike radar and road sensor based cameras, these devices measure a car's speed by averaging the time it takes to travel between two or more camera units. Situated high above the road, the relatively small SPECS cameras are not in the motorist's sight line. Because they do not use a flash, drivers will have no idea if they are caught until they get a ticket in the mail weeks later.

One of these units has been on Lower Thames Street in London has been identified as the sneakiest of the city's ticket traps. The speed limit on the road drops suddenly from 30 MPH to 20 MPH, but at least one of the 20 MPH speed limit signs is hidden. Speed camera warning signs are likewise obscured by bus stops. The camera issues 70 tickets per day, on track to generating £1.5 million this year (US $2.9 million).

One London resident told the Daily Express, "I was caught twice within 10 days and it wasn't until the notification of the fines dropped through my letter box that I realised the cameras were there. I've been back to look for them since and they're almost impossible to see."



Article Excerpt:

Mark McArthur-Christie, of the Association of British Drivers, said: "Specs systems are a licence to print money. There can be no other

reason to install them. The Partnership has created a very dangerous situation. If drivers know they're going to get flashed for driving at 21mph they will not dare to lift their eyes from the speedometer.