New M50 Signs, is big brother watching you.

Dublindave2

Does anyone know what those camera like objects on top of the new M50 signs are.IMG_0132.JPGIMG_0133.JPG

Big Nasty

Cameras?

si_guru

Looks like ANPR to me. Nothing to worry about if you're legal.

BlackWizard

They dont look like traffic cameras.

Paulw

BlackWizard wrote: »

They dont look like traffic cameras.

What do traffic cameras look like?

BlackWizard

Usually they are pointing down the road and not at passing vehicle reg plates.

Also why have a camera per lane if it is for traffic.

charlie1966

It's simple. It's a camera taking a picture of you taking a picture of them.

I hope you were using a dedicated camera and not a camera phone, as that would be illegal if you are driving. Tut Tut.:D

Cionád

*fetches pitchfork*

Hope you weren't sitting in the right hand lane boy.

seamus

ANPR with any luck.

Mr Benevolent

The OP's in trouble now. Two driving offences in one pic

Hal1

It's for Gay Byrne. He monitors the m50 very closely for speeders. The sign display 'slow down ye fkrs' when he spots someone speeding. :pac:

robbie99

charlie1966 wrote: »

I hope you were using a dedicated camera and not a camera phone, as that would be illegal if you are driving. Tut Tut.:D

Taken with an iPhone 4 according to the image properties

MarkoC

Theres NOTHING to worrie about !

Matrix is coming anyway

Stark

Hal1 wrote: »

It's for Gay Byrne. He monitors the m50 very closely for speeders. The sign display 'slow down ye fkrs' when he spots someone speeding. :pac:

And "slow down even more" for those who aren't.

MarkoC

Stark wrote: »

And "slow down even more" for those who aren't.

Slow down the sun

Tails142

In the UK they have a trafficmaster system.

Basically these cameras take a note of car reg plates as they pass.

As they go down the road, they pass more of these cameras, usually on other signs.

One use of this information is to then calculate how long it took to get from sign a to sign b. You will see this in use in a couple of places, but for example on the M1 southbound heading to the airport you will see a sign saying Airport Junction 16mins M50 junction 24mins - this tells you how long its going to take to get to a specific junction. When traffic levels are low or journey times are normal these signs then revert to messages like 'Slow Down, Arive Alive', 'Less Speed, Less Hurt'.

I've never seen the ones on the M50 saying journey times so its possible they are still testing the system out.

Another use of this system is the to tie in with GPS, I know TomTom are rolling out a system whereby the route it picks will be based on the traffic levels, so this camera system sends a message to peoples SatNav saying M50 journeytime, 50mins, and the SatNav sees if there is a better faster route to use, it can also then display a colored map showing traffic congestion.

Of course there are also more sinister (!) uses.

1. Everyones movements are theoretically stored in a database, tracking car reg movements and times. Like we saw with mobile phone records convicting a man of murder based on which mast he was connected to, these could be used against you should you ever decide to murder your wife and come up with a phoney alibi.

2. The time it takes to get from one camera to another can be easily calculated and your average speed worked out, this is the basic method for average speed camera systems like they have in the UK and up north but I don't think these current cameras could be used for that, they only seem to track the middle and overtaking lanes.

3. It could also be a way to calculate 'pay by use' tolling they are half thinking about implementing on the M50 whereby they keep track of how far along the M50 you travel. Though again I think these current cameras would have to be modified for this.

At the moment though, like I said, I think these cameras are just for tracking journey times and letting you know when you're stuck in traffic how long its going to take you to get to the airport.

woody33

It's to catch people sliding down the road on the driver's door.

PauloMN

It's to catch James Bond style flick-over reg plates for toll evaders. Damn, will have to think of something else to save me €3.

McSpud

Dublindave2 wrote: »

Does anyone know what those camera like objects on top of the new M50 signs are.IMG_0132.JPGIMG_0133.JPG

Messages coming soon...

ironclaw

They are simple CCTV cameras. For ANPR they would need to be better illuminated. Either IR or existing lighting, neither of which exist near these cameras.

Its an extension of the Dublin Traffic Camera's. A huge missed opportunity to put in ANPR or average speed cameras. Saying that, wouldn't take a huge amount to mount them. Also, given the speed camera road markings at some of the larger gantries, its only a matter of time.

You need this size and spec of camera (You need high res, high speed which costs money) to do ANPR etc:



Know as SPEC's in the UK and there is a pair of them on the old road north of Newry.

Tragedy

ironclaw wrote: »

A huge missed opportunity to put in ANPR or average speed cameras.

A missed opportunity to have average speed cameras on the M50?

Please excuse my language, but gtfo :pac:

ironclaw

Tragedy wrote: »

A missed opportunity to have average speed cameras on the M50?

Please excuse my language, but gtfo :pac:

I wouldn't mind ANPR as it would be a great tool in combatting Tax and Insurance issues. Either way there are advanced plans (Apparently) to toll the entire M50 from the M11 interchange to the Airport, you'd pay by how far you've travelled. Utter lunacy in my book.

M50 should be free. Congestion charges in town are a much better idea I think.