‘Special’ speed camera warning to everyone who passes these M6 junctions
'Special' speed cameras have caught out thousands of unassuming drivers on the M6 in the West Midlands over the last year. The cameras clocked motorists at two junctions who may not even have been aware they were there or how they operate.
Almost 20,000 drivers were seen speeding on the section of motorway in the year to April 2024 - around 55 every day. They are not 'normal' or average speed cameras which operate here.
They are variable speed cameras and they only run at certain times. They are used when the speed limit is temporarily lowered, and in the West Midlands are between Junctions 7 and 8 near Great Barr; and between the M54 slip road near Wolverhampton and Junction 10 for Walsall[1].
READ MORE: Police keep secret key detail about speed cameras as drivers kept in the dark[2]
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Some 12,300 were caught between Junctions 7 and 8 and another 7,600 between the M54 and Junction 10. Anyone who regularly drives on the motorway through the West Midlands will have seen temporary, or variable, speed limits displayed on overhead gantries at times of congestion. They will flash up 40, 50 or 60.
Many motorists wrongly assume these are only suggested speed limits, or they are not policed. This is not the case, as thousands have found to their cost. These speeds must be followed when the digital signs are displayed and the variable cameras are watching.
The latest speeding figures were obtained by Legal Expert[4] under freedom of information laws. Variable speeds are used on sections of smart motorway at times of heavy congestion, such as when there has been a crash or during severe weather.
Motoring organisation the RAC says: "Variable speed cameras work in a similar way to average speed cameras, but they’re unlikely to be in operation 24/7. They tend to be used on smart motorways when the speed limit is lowered to ease congestion or in the event of poor weather or some other hazard.
""The speed cameras are situated on the overhead gantries and the limit will be displayed on a series of signs."
References
- ^ Walsall (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ Police keep secret key detail about speed cameras as drivers kept in the dark (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the BirminghamLive newsletter here (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ Legal Expert (www.legalexpert.co.uk)