The end of speed cameras?
Could the advent of automatic speed limiters in
cars mark the beginning of the end for traditional
enforcement regimes?
Tipping point?
Calum McPhail thinks
that the overwhelming
majority of the vehicles
on UK roads would
have to be equipped
with the ISA system for
it to make “a telling
impact on congestion”.
He says, “Until
a driver is confident
enough that the vehicle
in front is not going to do
something unusual then
I think there will be concerns.”
With the average ‘churn time’
for a new technology like this to be
universally accepted around 15
years, Mr McPhail thinks it might
not be until at least 2045 before UK
drivers “see the benefits of less
congested roads”.
But there is arguably a far great
challenge than the technical barriers
– which must be overcome says
Calum McPhail “if ISA technology is
going to help reduce road traffic
accident fatalities and gridlock, too”.
“There is a risk that drivers put
too much faith in ISA technology,
If the technology is widely
accepted by motorists, we
might see a significant decrease
in speed cameras
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy, AA
With the European Safety
Council forecasting that
speed reduction technology
could prevent 20 percent of fatalities
on Europe’s roads, it begs the
question as to whether speed
enforcement cameras will be
needed in the future.
Jack Cousens, the head of roads
policy at the AA, thinks that “there
are a number of factors to consider”.
“Firstly,”, he says, “it depends on
the level of public buy-in. If drivers see
the ISA system as an annoyance they
might choose to not to use it. But, on
the other hand, if the technology is
widely accepted by motorists, and it
reaches a point where the system,
and not the driver, is automatically
adjusting the speed of the vehicle
at every speed sign, then we
might see a significant decrease
in speed cameras.”
However, Mr Cousens, does not
think that cameras will be entirely
phased out. He believes that camera
technology “will evolve to embrace
other enforcement use cases”.
He explains “Cameras are
developing all of the time. In the
future they will still be an effective
enforcement tool. But their primary
purpose might not to catch speeding
drivers. Instead, they’ll ensure that
motorists aren’t using a mobile phone
at the wheel, are fully insured and
are not ignoring a red-X sign on
a smart motorway.”
extra €60 per vehicle, is not yet
perfect. Sometimes, most notably in
rural locales, it can be confused by
two conflicting road signs. When this
happens, in rare occurrences, the
driver may receive no information on
his dashboard.
There have also been instances
when the GPS mapping system and
the camera have disagreed, leaving
the ISA system to adjudicate and the
driver to make the final decision. If
these problems are not ironed out,
some worry the ISA system might
cause more jams. But TRL’s Matthias
Seidl thinks this misses the point.
“First and foremost the ISA
systems are not really designed to
improve traffic flow. The primary
focus of the technology is to cut
road traffic collisions and save lives.
However, in doing so, there will
be benefits for congestion. In the
UK, for example, there were over
24,000 serious and fatal collisions
last year, many of them related to
speeding. Every collision prevented
by intelligent speed assistance will
avoid gridlock – especially on
motorways and A-roads.”
particularly when driving in
inclement or extreme weather
conditions. When the roads are icy
or wet, motorists need to adapt their
driving style to the road conditions.
An ISA system ought to do this too.
But in no way should it ever be
considered to be a substitute for
a human being. The danger is that
it will be.”
Reed agrees, “Even if the ISA
system fails, it will remain the
responsibility of the driver to
ensure safe control of the vehicle
which includes driving to the
road conditions and abiding by
mandatory speed limits.”
Right: Variable speed
limits could prove to
be challenging for
ISA systems
Above: Roadside
cameras could evolve
to focus on several
safety factors in
addition to speed
PHOTO: METAMORWORKS, CHRISTOPHER DODGE, MAHO, MONTICELLLLO, MOPIC, LENBLR, JPLDESIGNS/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
Speed Management |
044 Traffic Technology International September/October 2019
www.TrafficTechnologyToday.com
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