What type of cameras do they have at Tollbar Island?

An average speed measuring speed camera system is being used at the notorious Tollbar Island, which was last year described as one of the country's worst junctions for traffic. The system is called SPECS.

How do the average speed cameras work?

They are located in multiple sites - at least two at a minimum of 200m apart - along the road for monitoring your average speed.

So unlike other speed cameras which capture your speed at a certain point in the road, average speed cameras track your speed over a set distance.

Are they just set up to monitor a single lane?

Nope. Gantry installations can monitor up to four lanes at one time.

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What happens when you pass one?

Each camera records a date and time stamp. Then by using Automatic Number Plate Reading (ANPR) digital technology, the computer can work out your average speed between the cameras with photographic evidence you were speeding.

The cameras also record your number plate and issue you a speeding ticket if you were speeding along the average speed controlled stretch of road.

Can the cameras still see your registration when it’s dark?

The cameras are each fitted with infra red illuminators fitted on gantries above the road, so they can work day or night using ANPR.

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Does the film ever run out?

No. Unlike other speed cameras, SPECS do not use film so there is no limit to the number of motorists that can be prosecuted.

But you can get round them by changing lanes, can’t you?

It’s a myth. In 2005, it was reported that the average speed system could be defeated by changing lanes, as penalties relied on photographs from the same lane.

However, Vysionics - the company that devised SPECS - have said that speeding can be recorded across multiple locations, and changing lanes makes no difference.