the speed signs with the smiley / sad faces

[Elpenor]

Maidenhead has these slightly creepy children statues outside primary schools

 

[hash tag]

Maidenhead has these slightly creepy children statues outside primary schools

View attachment 339412

They look like Dr Barnardo' s statues. There is something similar near Gracechurch St.

 

[hash tag]

I was following a car yesterday when we entered a 20 limit. They were doing about 26. The sign lit up with a smiley face and the number 26. The car driver hit the brakes. The signs work, sometimes.

 

[moochedit]

Never seen the signs with smiley faces before although they do have a few that flash up the speed and either "too fast" or "thank you" near me. They are also installing average speed cameras on a few roads.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Never seen the signs with smiley faces before although they do have a few that flash up the speed and either "too fast" or "thank you" near me. They are also installing average speed cameras on a few roads.

We had one at one of my worksites and none of us could remember how to program it so you could belt along at any speed and it would smile at you.

 

[blossie33]

The smiley face one in Dalston Lane I mentioned before has been broken for a while now - one side is permanently a smile and the other a frown

 

[smmudge]

There's one on the road that goes through our hospital, it's always a sad face when I go by on the bus

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I was following a car yesterday when we entered a 20 limit. They were doing about 26. The sign lit up with a smiley face and the number 26. The car driver hit the brakes. The signs work, sometimes.

If you had rear-ended it that would have made for a better anecdote.

 

[Storm Fox]

Salisbury Hospital has a smiley face / frowny face set at 15MPH. Even at that speed, people slow down.

 

[StoneRoad]

There's a few of these compliance devices around here {Tyneside / SW Northumberland}
I can't say that they have much affect on me - as I am being fairly careful to stick to speed limits anyway.

 

[WouldBe]

Salisbury Hospital has a smiley face / frowny face set at 15MPH. Even at that speed, people slow down.

How does it tell the difference between the public and an ambulance?

 

[Storm Fox]

How does it tell the difference between the public and an ambulance?

The ambulances go a different route to the main A&E entrance the SIDs are on the route to the main car park. That road goes between different buildings where a lot of people walk between.

 

[hash tag]

How does it tell the difference between the public and an ambulance?

Would it matter. Emergency vehicles often speed past speed cameras and get caught, but I assume no action is taken.

 

[girasol]

I'm loving this thread. Lots of random mundane, but interesting information

I drive past one particular sign regularly. If I need cheering I stay under. If I'm feeling mischievous I go just above... The faces do work!

 

[Storm Fox]

I believe they stop displaying your speed if going to fast to stop people try to get a 'high score'

 

[WouldBe]

Would it matter. Emergency vehicles often speed past speed cameras and get caught, but I assume no action is taken.

Emergency vehicles should get a frown face for going too slow, a smiley face for going over the speed limit and a thumbs up for going even faster.

 

[hitmouse]

I believe the evidence shows that being watched over by a giant pair of eyes advertising an optician's business doesn't make people drive more carefully?

 

[Magnus McGinty]

I believe the evidence shows that being watched over by a giant pair of eyes advertising an optician's business doesn't make people drive more carefully?

Any minor infractions generates money for the giant eye though. Which the giant eye loves and feeds from with it's enormous tongue.

 

[pbsmooth]

I was following a car yesterday when we entered a 20 limit. They were doing about 26. The sign lit up with a smiley face and the number 26. The car driver hit the brakes. The signs work, sometimes.

It wouldn't have been a smiley face if they were over the limit... #columbo

 

[moochedit]

Would it matter. Emergency vehicles often speed past speed cameras and get caught, but I assume no action is taken.

They have to appeal the tickets (or did at time of this story anyway)

'Common sense' plea over ambulance speeding fines

Ambulance trusts in England are paying staff to appeal against thousands of speeding fines, despite 98% being blue light emergencies.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[bcuster]

.

 

[plurker]

Salisbury Hospital has a smiley face / frowny face set at 15MPH. Even at that speed, people slow down.

I've been past that sign often in the past few weeks; I pay more attention to that on than those I see on public roads - but suspect it's not legally enforceable as it's a private road.

 

[moochedit]

I've been past that sign often in the past few weeks; I pay more attention to that on than those I see on public roads - but suspect it's not legally enforceable as it's a private road.

The "smiley face" signs are not cameras and don't report you even on public roads. They are just to shame/scare you.

I'm not sure if speed limit signs on private land have any legal status though. Might be a civil matter like private parking tickets?

 

[Ax^]

don't mind the smiley face notices

slow down to get happy face

quite effective

 

[plurker]

The "smiley face" signs are not cameras and don't report you even on public roads. They are just to shame/scare you.

Oh yeah, I know that. I just don't really slow for the ones on public roads if I'm slightly over, but the one in SDH I do - some kind of moral compass aoruond hospital I guess!

 

[T & P]

People speed for all kind of reasons, and at widely ranging degrees. I’m no psychologist but whereas the worst offenders won’t be swayed by any kind of display, I wonder about the pros and cons of face only vs face + mph vs mph only if you’re trying to influence the behaviour of ordinary drivers.

At lower infraction speeds an angry face only is far preferable imo. The majority of drivers are perfectly sensible and safe overall, and being flashed with an angry face designed to publicly shame them for speeding that’s displaying a speed of 22 mph is more likely to antagonise many of them and actually
lower their general regard for the rule of the law. Because 22 mph on a 20 zone is not irresponsible or dangerous in any way. Far better to display just the red angry face, which is almost undisputedly going to cause most sensible drivers to slow down immediately assuming they’re going faster than 22.

However, for speeds over, say 25, the mph should be displayed in large numbers. Together with a readout of the offending car’s number plate, which is already a thing.