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1 There are two types of speed camera the fixed speed camera with a yellow housing or case and the mobile speed camera that is operated from a vehicle or a policemen at the side of the road
2 The rules relating to fixed camera sites and mobile camera sites state that speed camera signs (with symbol and message 'speed cameras') should be co-located with speed limit signs where permitted and practicable. The camera sign may need to be sited on its own if the commencement of the speed limit started an unreasonably long length before the start of the speed camera enforcement zone.
3 In the case of fixed cameras the first sign needs to be within 1 kilometre of the first speed camera. The speed camera repeater signs (with the message 'speed cameras) should be co-located with and mounted below speed limit repeater signs. A co-located speed limit repeater sign and camera sign should be mounted in the same view as the camera ie. the camera must be able to be seen at the same time that the signs are.
4. Where fixed cameras are sited within a lit 30mph speed limit where 30mph repeater signs are not allowed or where a national speed limit is in force and no speed limit repeater signs are allowed the rules allow up to two warning signs on the approach to the camera. These warning signs comprise of a speed camera repeater sign and 30mph repeater sign combined on a blue rectangular plate with a white border and in the case of a national speed limit the repeater sign is replaced with a derestriction plate. It would appear from the guidelines that this would apply to each camera if there is more than one; quoting from chapter 3 ' Diagram 880 (combined camera repeater sign and 30mph repeater sign) is used only on a lit road with a 30mph speed limit. Its purpose is to advise drivers that a 30mph speed limit is being enforced by cameras on roads that do not have repeater signs. It must not be used as a substitute for repeater signs. Direction 32(4) requires that no more than two signs to diagram 880 be placed on any approach to an enforcement camera. For other speed limits, a repeater sign to diagram 670 (speed limit repeater sign) should be co-located with the camera sign to diagram 879 (speed camera repeater sign) as shown in figure 14-20'. The Department for Transport has published an 'AIDE MEMOIRE ON SPEED LIMIT AND SAFETY CAMERA SIGNING' in July 2006 and can be found at the Departments website www.dft.gov.uk
5 In the case of mobile speed camera sites the rules above apply except that a co-located speed limit repeater sign and camera symbol do not have to be seen in the same view as the mobile speed camera. Camera symbol repeater signs must be repeated at no more than 1 kilometre intervals through the site and may be co-located with repeater signs where present.
6 Side roads that join the main road under surveillance may or may not be allowed advanced signing, this is at the discretion of the speed camera partnership. In this case although it does not seem to be mentioned in literature issued by the Government I would suspect that to be legally enforced from the side road, then a camera symbol repeater must be encountered before any camera location, fixed or mobile.
7 Where the speed camera symbol repeater sign is located on its own, then the size of the sign (height) must not measure less than the size of the corresponding speed limit repeater sign specified for that speed limit ie. 30mph - 300mm. On lit roads the camera symbol sign should be 300mm high - co-located sign on a blue background. There are two sizes specified for the size of camera symbol if used within a national speed limit, the smaller size of 300mm high is for use on single carriageway two way roads and the higher, 400mm for use on dual carriageways.
8 Where the speed camera repeater sign is used the height of the plate should be at least the same as for the equivalent diameter of the repeater sign that would be used for that road ie. 40mph x 300mm diametre repeater sign = 300mm high camera repeater sign. Where the speed limit repeater sign is greater than 300mm ie. 450mm or 600mm then the height of the camera sign should be 3/4 the height of the speed limit repeater sign eg. If a 40mph speed limit repeater sign of 450mm is used then the camera symbol should be 450mm x 0.75 = 337.5mm and 600mm x 0.75 = 450mm, presumably this gives some correlation between the size of the speed limit sign and the camera symbol so they look in proportion to each other, I must say though that the rules on speed camera signs do not seem as robust or as precise (quite woolly) as those for speed limits.
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