Road Angel

[Manxrav]

Next month I.m having to drive down to Doncaster to pick up my latest Degree.I,ve not driven seriously on UK roads for the last 5 years. I,m freakin abit about speed cameras and would like to know you advice on Road angel camera detectors. Its all Motorway from Heysham to Doncaster so touch wood no problem but I noticed there are a lot of cameras on the M6 round the Preston area.Any advice would be appreciated,also if the Road angel is a no no is there a decent satnav with camera alerts on it.

Just a thought I have a iphone3 can I get an app for that? with nav and cameras?

Regards Clare

[pgp001]

Why not just stick under the speed limit ?

Phil

[IanXT4]

Have a friend who bought a GPS then loaded it with all the fixed cameras. It worked a treat.

When I last spoke with him he was on nine points all from mobile camera vans not on the GPS data base.

[chatman]

Sticking to the speed limit is a good answer...PocketGPSworld.com do an app for the iPhone called CamerAlert. If you've never installed it before....you can and also get the 1st database download free when you do, which will have the camera's listed (this is the best upto date camera db there is)

So if you want to keep or at least know when you might loose your license... Use this app....

[Cyker]

60mph for fuel economy and a relaxing drive or 70mph for the legal speed limit.

75mph for the 'grey area' speed limit

To be honest tho', what with how UK roads are, don't be surprised if you're forced to drive at 50mph due to congestion and road works!

I got stuck on the M11 on Saturday because they'd closed it off past junction 8!

[Manxrav]

Don,t get me wrong I am not a speed merchant and do stick to the letter of the law. As you can read from 1st post all I was asking for was advice on the Road angel plus the fact i have not driven on Uk roads for 5 years, and we do not have speed cameras or motorways on the Isle of Man. Placing comments like stick to the speed limits whilst I take it on board do not answer my question!!!

Regards Clare

[Guest]

To be fair to the replies above, I would hazard a guess most of us do not use a speed camera detector, yes I have one on my tomtom but do not use it, it just bleeps at me now and again on the motorways, they are useless as they tell you where the cameras are but as some (alot on motorways) are in a variable limit you have to pay attention to the MPH signs as the cameras are variable along with the speed limit. or at 40/50 if in roadworks.

The one area that may catch you out in the last 5 years are average speed cameras that do as they say and take your average speed through roadworks, so if you are in a 50 your average must be 50 or less when you go past the next (or a series of cameras).

Gus

[CharlieFarlie]

Clare the biggest worry on the M6 is the vans and ANPR cameras along with those speed traps on tripods.... The Road Angel App is OK but not brilliant.. You can get it on a free weeks trial and that trial period may be enough for Your trip ??

If Im honest I tend to set the criuse to 75 MPH and just sit it out.

I would not be paying a lot for any of those fancy devices .. HTH

Wee Charlie.

[firemac]

Don,t get me wrong I am not a speed merchant and do stick to the letter of the law. As you can read from 1st post all I was asking for was advice on the Road angel plus the fact i have not driven on Uk roads for 5 years, and we do not have speed cameras or motorways on the Isle of Man. Placing comments like stick to the speed limits whilst I take it on board do not answer my question!!!

Regards Clare

I've had a RA for 4 or 5 years & they are very good although as mentioned above, they don't deal with the mobile vans. Fortunately there are not so many of those around now thanks to the economic crisis & the cuts to govt funding of the so-called "safety partnerships". Similarly, alot of the fixed cameras have been switched off. I use my Nokia phone as a sat-nav & it has camera alerts on its Ovi app - works a treat so I guess that your i-phone app would be OK.

Therefore don't get too paranoid. The ones to watch out for are the Specs systems which use a series of cameras to measure average speed over several miles (e.g Nottingham ring road, A57 Cat & Fiddle, etc.) and the ones that photograph you from the front (can't remember what they're called) which have two different-sized circular lenses - one is the radar & the other is the camera. You tend to find the latter in urban 30 & 40 mph areas & usually positioned in really sneaky locations, like just around bends, etc., so you can't take avoiding action. M6 in Lancs used to be a happy hunting ground for plod - we got caught once there - but I would guess that they have better things to do with their reduced budgets these days.

If you're travelling from Heysham to Doncaster I would guess that you will use M6, M62, M1/A1. Just keep your eyes peeled for plods with tri-pods or parked patrol cars/vans on the overhead bridges as there are still the odd traps about. As another poster mentioned above however, the congestion, roadworks and poor lane discipline of what seems like a majority of motorists tend to prevent any speeds much above about 50 or 60 mph in a lot of cases.

Hope this helps.

Jim

[Manxrav]

Thank you Chalie,Firemac and Gust for your answers,will take heed.Once again many thanks. Charlie one suspects you have been using the M6 quite a bit recently.

Regards Clare

[CharlieFarlie]

Thank you Chalie,Firemac and Gust for your answers,will take heed.Once again many thanks. Charlie one suspects you have been using the M6 quite a bit recently.

Regards Clare

Yes Clare every 5 weeks or so I run down from the M74 right down as far as Birmingham.. It really is the bridges You have to be aware of !!!

We all speed from time to time !! But its only sensible to take precautions... The road angel app for the iPhone is OK.. It will inform You of any areas that may have mobile cameras ect. Even accident black spots are covered and its very comprehensive !!!

Give it a try just for the week ? If nothing else it serves to remind You of any potential hazard thereby keeping You alert and on Your toes !!

Have a safe trip !........ :thumbsup:

Wee Charlie.

[jedi134]

Any POI speed camera database should be fine, I use one on TomTom and it shows all the fixed camera positions also shows where the mobile van pirates usually hide themselves, so can be good for thoses too. But like someone said previously, depending what time you land in the UK, you will be lucky to reach 70mph.

Do you have speed limits in the IOM? cant belive you have no speed cameras? This is how the Uk should be.

[Mike JD]

Next month I.m having to drive down to Doncaster to pick up my latest Degree.I,ve not driven seriously on UK roads for the last 5 years. I,m freakin abit about speed cameras and would like to know you advice on Road angel camera detectors. Its all Motorway from Heysham to Doncaster so touch wood no problem but I noticed there are a lot of cameras on the M6 round the Preston area.Any advice would be appreciated,also if the Road angel is a no no is there a decent satnav with camera alerts on it.

Just a thought I have a iphone3 can I get an app for that? with nav and cameras?

Regards Clare

Clare,

I have used a Road Angel 7000 GPS for a while now. It has one huge advantage for me in that it accepts Memory Map OS Landranger data but the camera info can be useful if you are in a hurry and a noisy pain if you are not. I tend to stick to setting 65mph with the cruise control as the GV is nearly economical (40mpg) at that and I am a lot less stressed that in the old days of outer lane stuff. It also continues to surpise me how little extra time it takes.

There you are! Two answers in one

[Manxrav]

Jedi, we don,t have fixed cameras,there was only one at a place called Ballaugh Bridge ( if your a TT fan you,ll know where that is ) but that got burned down by the locals. There are mobile ones but they are random. We have no motorways and have 100yards of dual carriage way. We have speedlimits but the open-limit is just that. Most roads are really well kept and on the TT course the roads are impeccable as you would expect. We have NO street lighting except in the main towns but they are switched off at midnight.

There you go roads of the IOM in one!!!!!!

Regards Clare

[Manxrav]

Charlie have looked at iPhone road angel app, it has 2 reviews and they both were not very complimentary.Is free for 7 days then you pay £17.99 but as I say reviewers not very happy. Thank you anyway.

Cheers Clare

[CharlieFarlie]

Charlie have looked at iphone road angel app, it has 2 reviews and they both were not very complimentary.Is free for 7 days then you pay £17.99 but as I say reviewers not very happy. Thank you anyway.

Cheers Clare

Well do what I did Clare. Try it for 7 days then don't buy it ?

Congrats on the latest Degree by the way..

[blue monster]

Hi Claire, I have been using a Snooper Syrius S600+ for a few years now which runs a Navteq maps/updates set up and I had considered a Road Angel at the time but there did not appear to be much difference. They guarantee to have all fixed cameras on their database and also all high risk areas such as the M6 where mobile vans tend to sit. Again, as referenced above, not 100% foolproof but given that the twice I have been caught have been by fixed cameras hidden behind overgrown trees & bushes where I had not realised a 60 had suddenly become a 50 or a 40 zone and each time have been literally a few MPH over and it is more piece of mind when you get the advance warning.

You can pick up these devices now for not much over £100 and when you consider it's 3 points & £60 a pop they are not bad value for money if you do a fair bit of traveling around and as Charlie advises, set your cruise control below 80 mph & you are sorted

Cheers

Martin

[Davrav]

Next month I.m having to drive down to Doncaster to pick up my latest Degree.I,ve not driven seriously on UK roads for the last 5 years. I,m freakin abit about speed cameras and would like to know you advice on Road angel camera detectors. Its all Motorway from Heysham to Doncaster so touch wood no problem but I noticed there are a lot of cameras on the M6 round the Preston area.Any advice would be appreciated,also if the Road angel is a no no is there a decent satnav with camera alerts on it.

Just a thought I have a iphone3 can I get an app for that? with nav and cameras?

Regards Clare

Just make sure you get/borrow a Satnav that has audible speed alerts Clare. My Becker has a very nice young lady who tells me to 'Beware' if I start to drift just over the limit on any particular stretch of road. Only catch is if speed limit has been reduced since the software was last updated.

Anyway, more importantly Clare, congratulations on your 'latest' degree. You collecting letters?

[Manxrav]

Have a B.Sc in Food technology (Hudd Uni) PGSE (Hudd Uni) and this one,s a Graduate course in Marraige Guidance!!!!! Besides being a Teacher, I am also a Counceller for Relate (spare time) So any of you lads on here with problems you know where to come. Giving way toooooo much away now!!!!!

Regards Clare

[Davrav]

Have a B.Sc in Food technology (Hudd Uni) PGSE (Hudd Uni) and this one,s a Graduate course in Marraige Guidance!!!!! Besides being a Teacher, I am also a Counceller for Relate (spare time) So any of you lads on here with problems you know where to come. Giving way toooooo much away now!!!!!

Regards Clare

Well done you

Think my sister should get an honourary degree in marriage guidance.......................she's been wed four times

[anchorman]

Sticking to the speed limit is a good answer...PocketGPSworld.com do an app for the iPhone called CamerAlert. If you've never installed it before....you can and also get the 1st database download free when you do, which will have the camera's listed (this is the best upto date camera db there is)

So if you want to keep or at least know when you might loose your license... Use this app....

Chatters...........

........is that you???

[chatman]

Chatters...........

........is that you???

Yep it is me :yahoo: