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BREAKING NEWS USA - CANADA - EUROPE
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Dyer Streets: Cones block school zone speed signs 
Signs don't follow state posting guides
By Bob Dyer
Beacon Journalist columnist
Published on Friday, Jan 25, 2008
Wouldn't you love to have their deadlines? On Sept. 18, the Ohio Supreme Court heard arguments for and against Cop-in-the-Box systems like the one Akron is using in school zones. Four months have passed, and not one peep.
Meanwhile, another 50 billion speeding tickets have been mailed out. And somewhere along the way, a new wrinkle emerged in the spirited dust-up between the Everyday Driver and the city of Akron. Read Full Story...
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Successful Civil Disobedience
Netherlands - by Eric Hesen 14-01-2008
It is not typically Dutch. Gandhi and Martin Luther King scored major
successes with civil disobedience. And yet, the Netherlands is one of the
countries where this form of action regularly yields results, because civil
disobedience fits well in the Dutch culture of tolerance and
consultation.
 There are numerous examples from the recent past.
The Netherlands has a real tradition of civil disobedience.
The most recent example involves a priest from Tilburg who continued to ring
his church bells, ignoring a series of council bans. Each morning, the bells
rang out across the southern town despite the huge fines imposed on the
priest.
Traffic
Another example is the
fight against traffic fines. For years, there have been massive protests against
fines imposed for relatively minor speeding offences. In recent years, several
groups have been formed of which the members refuse to pay these fines. And with
success, because a number of politicians have begun to wonder out loud whether
it wouldn't be better to scrap these fines. Read Full Story...
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Speeding fine error 'disgusting'
By Paul Fielding 9th January 2008
London - Blackpool
A SPEED camera campaigner has condemned the controversial devices after it was revealed hundreds of motorists had received tickets by mistake.
Police are handing back 300 fines to drivers after it was found their speed guns were set up wrong.
In 2004, Coun Mary Smith of Bloomfield ward chaired a scrutiny committee which was highly critical of cameras in the resort, and today said she was not surprised by the blunder. Full Story...
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To flash, or not to flash, for cops?
Canada - Posted 2nd Feb 08
I'm a huge supporter of the police, but you wonder who counsels them on public relations.
They wonder why the driving public often does not co-operate with them, when they pull stunts like they did March 24 last year.
Brad Diamond, producer of TSN's Motoring 2008 (full disclosure: I appear on this show) lives near Broadview and Danforth Aves. Every Saturday morning he goes out for his usual four-buck coffee.
On this day he was driving westbound on the Prince Edward Viaduct, which connects Danforth Avenue and Bloor Street across the Don Valley. He spotted a radar trap nailing eastbound drivers, and passed it at approximately 49.999 km/h. It's there all the time so it was no surprise to him. Read Full Story...
Driving ban for 'look, no hands' policeman who raced past speed camera at 73mph with thumbs up
Last updated 01.02.08
As most police officers will testify, answering a 999 call at high speeds requires skill, quick-thinking and above all else concentration.
Yet, despite driving at almost double the speed limit, this smiling constable managed to remove both his hands from the steering wheel to give a 'thumbs up' to a speed camera as he whizzed past.
If that wasn't bad enough a little over an hour later David Mayes, 34, repeated his high-jinks as he sped towards another emergency call - this time doing 73mph in a built-up 40mph area. (Continued below)
Reckless: Mayes takes his hands off the wheel at 73mph as he passes a speed camera
Right - Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes, banned fordoing 90mph in a 60mph zone, has his licence back and is taking an advanced driving course
The hearing was told that Mayes, who was given three points on his driving license last year for speeding whilst off-duty, first responded to a call about an abandoned car and later the theft of some lead.
Tom Nutter, mitigating, said his client regretted his actions and was full of "remorse". He added: "It was an episode of complete stupidity and his behaviour was wholly uncharacteristic.
"His actions not only impact on his standing but on the South Yorkshire Constabulary and the wider police service as a whole.
"He has not been suspended from work. However, he has been removed from frontline policing and placed on restricted duties. Read the Full Story...
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BREAKING NEWS - AUSTRALIA
Camera ‘cash cow’ but safety slow to improve
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 Maitland Mercury - 01 February 2008
Sydney - Drivers speeding through Lochinvar paid more than $2.3 million in fines after being caught by a speed camera.
More than 18,600 speeding offences have been captured by the fixed speed camera since it was installed in 2003.
This makes the average fine about $125.
The figures were revealed in NSW Office of State Revenue documents obtained by the Maitland Mercury under Freedom of Information.
Read Full Story...
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More than a third of Victoria's TAC fleet cops traffic fines
by Fiona Hudson Heral Sun - Victoria, Australia January 13, 2008
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MORE than a third of the Transport Accident Commission car fleet has incurred speeding or traffic fines in the past two years.
Despite the latest TAC advertising campaign - "Take a Damn Good Look At Yourself" - documents show the road safety body's drivers have incurred 37 fines.
Offences by TAC staff included excessive speeding, running red lights and throwing away a lit cigarette butt.
Four drivers were booked for speeding 10-15km/h over the limit, data obtained by the Sunday Herald Sun under Freedom Of Information laws show.
The worst breach recorded in a TAC car was a staffer caught doing 74km/h in a 60km/h zone, which attracted a $750 fine.
Four TAC cars were booked for running red lights. Read the Full Story...
The revelations come after the TAC axed a $500,000 sponsorship of Collingwood football club over rookie Sharrod Wellingham's drink-driving ticket last week.
Three TAC staff were repeat offenders and 26 drivers were nabbed for speeding at less than 10km/h over the limit - despite the State-Government-owned TAC spending millions of taxpayer dollars encouraging Victorian drivers to "Wipe Off 5".
And the road safety body said yesterday it could not be sure other staff weren't personally fined for failing to wear seat belts, drink-driving or using mobile phones, because telling management about those offences was voluntary.
About 700 employees share the TAC's fleet of 88 cars.
Drivers incur the penalties and demerit points attached to breaches, not the TAC.
Senior managers were among the offenders.
"A range of employees from all levels incurred infringements," TAC spokeswoman Lauren Treacy said.
Though all those involved in the offences could have faced dismissal, they had been given only mandatory counselling.
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Speed Cameras need police back-up says Opposition.
Queensland: Tue Jan 15, 2008
Queensland's Opposition says speeding drivers have quickly learned how to deal with fixed speed cameras.
New cameras on the Bruce Highway at Burpengary and the Story Bridge in Brisbane together caught more than 5,500 drivers in their first month.
But Opposition transport spokesman Tim Nicholls says most drivers just slow down then speed up when they get past. He says fixed cameras are not enough without more police on the roads. Read Full Story...
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Speed Camera "Could Cause Crash"
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Shannon Molloy | January 17, 2008
Queensland: The new fixed speed camera on the Story Bridge could potentially cause a major accident, the RACQ claims.
The fixed camera was installed at the merge of Main Street and Shafston Avenue at Kangaroo Point late last year. Since then, more than 3900 motorists have been caught speeding.
While not objecting to the speed camera itself, the RACQ claims the camera's placement and a lack of adequate signage posed a serious safety risk.
And the organisation claimed its concerns were falling on deaf ears.
Queensland Transport promised to install a protective guardrail around the camera but had failed to deliver, RACQ general manager Gary Fites said this morning.
"(We) would have expected the department to act quickly to ensure that a piece of equipment which is intended to help reduce road trauma does not have the potential to contribute to it," Mr Fites said.
A lack of adequate signage on both approaches to the camera also contradicted the Government's promise it would install high visibility warnings, he said.
"The main aim of fixed cameras should be to slow traffic down in areas where excessive speed is a proven problem, so motorists need to be adequately warned."
The organisation is calling for the placement of advance warning signs, claiming the current signage was obscured by tree foliage, construction and heavy traffic.
The RACQ also claims it was left out of the initial speed camera placement planning process.
Comment was being sought from the Minister for Transport.
No Need for Speed
Queensland - Australia January 14, 2008 - It's almost common knowledge now.
Two New Year resolutions all Brisbanites will endeavour to uphold -
* Thou shall not speed when driving across the Story Bridge.
* Thou shall not speed when driving up the coast around about the point of the Burpengary weighbridge. Read Full Story...
Western Australia Speed Outrage
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Article from:
Speed outrage
Amy McKenna
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Western Australia: SPEED cameras set up on Mandurah Road over the weekend captured more than a thousand speeding motorists in a result that has outraged Peel police. During a total of 11 and a half hours on Saturday a speed camera erected southbound near Lakelands caught 1040 speeding motorists.
The highest speed was clocked at 124km/hr in the 80km/hr zone followed by a motorist at 121km/hr and several between 110 and 120 km/hr. Read the full story...
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More speed cameras for WA
Paul Lampathakis
Perth Western Australia January 12, 2008
SPEEDING motorists beware - WA police plan to increase the number of speed and traffic-light cameras by a massive 350 per cent.
Currently, there are 25 Multanovas and 30 red-light cameras in the state. The proposal, contained in a police-commissioned consultants' report, says: "... additional cameras are planned (an increase of 350 per cent) to achieve targeted reduction in speed and red-light violations, and hence road-related deaths.''
Police would not reveal whether the plans involved increasing each type of camera by this amount, or both combined.
If the number of each type was increased, it would result in up to 112 speed and 135 traffic-light cameras on the state's roads. Read the full story...
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Cameras and fines expected to multiply
By Tuck Thompson
Australia - Brisbane December 07, 2007 
QUEENSLANDERS can expect a proliferation of fixed speed cameras if the track record of the devices in other states and countries is any indication.
Police Minister Judy Spence has said the Government would decide on increasing the number of fixed cameras after analysing the results of the first three sites.
Two of the cameras, monitoring northbound traffic at the Story Bridge and on the Bruce Highway at Burpengary, will start start snapping speeding motorists on Friday.
The third location, northbound on the M1 at Tarragindi, will begin operation early next year.
RACQ spokesman Gary Fites opposes widespread use of the fixed cameras.
"We would hope there wouldn't be a proliferation," he said. "We would like to see them applied strategically and sparingly."
The cameras purchased for southeast Queensland are manufactured by Netherlands-based Gatsometer, which has supplied 4000 fixed speed cameras to British police.
While police there credit fixed cameras for reducing speed and serious accidents, motorists have raised questions about their accuracy and need on normal highways.
British drivers have turned to the internet to discover where authorities have installed them.
In Australia, one of the most popular websites is Roadwatch.com, where drivers vent frustration with the cameras.
"You won't find too many fans of them on our site," said owner Anthony Burnett, who estimated fixed camera locations had doubled in the past three years in Australia. "The general feeling is that they just move accidents to other locations."
Police have been trialling the speed camera at Burpengary since last Friday to ensure it is working effectively before next Friday's official start.
Ms Spence said she expected signs warning motorists of cameras would make them slow down.
But at Sydney's Harbour Tunnel, 13,500 motorists were booked in five months despite 2.5m signs.
Fixed speed camera numbers have exploded in NSW, where two cameras generating $2.5 million in revenue in 1999 have increased to 50 fixed cameras generating up to $50 million in revenue a year. Queensland police say fixed speed cameras have a good track record.
Speeding fine consultant Scott Cooper expects a flood of fixed speed cameras in Queensland.
"Whoever is using the road is going to pay the penalty for these things," he said.
He disputed police claims that the three fixed cameras were installed in high-accident areas.
"They are more speed traps than blackspot areas," he said. "It's not going to do anything for the road toll, it's purely a revenue-raising effort."
Police have refused to disclose the speeds that will trigger the cameras.
Low tolerance limits in other states have angered drivers, so it is expected Queensland will stick to the approximately 10 per cent margin used by mobile radar operators.
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The ridiculous focus on "speeding" continues to obscure what should be obvious to everyone - Bad driving kills, so train better drivers!
Read Our Weblog
Web Blog
Todays Comment
What on earth is wrong with Victorians allowing a State Government to do what they are doing to the general population? A small Australian state with 5 million residents, where 2.86 million warrants and Court orders exist for unpaid speed camera fines and tollway fines. Are Victorians so distracted with football that there civil liberties no longer matter? WAKE-UP!!!
The down side of nabbing the majority of drivers with a speeding fine is the inevitable rise in disqualified drivers and a steady rise in the road toll.
Concern has been raised by both supporters and opponents of speed cameras that the exponential growth in speeding offences detected will lead to a large increase in the number of people disqualified from driving, which causes severe economic consequences for those involved and may also encourage unlicensed (and therefore uninsured) driving.
Come to Victoria - The Speed Camera Mugging State of Australia. "If you come to our state with a drivers licence, we'll make sure you leave without one."
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Short News Articles
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Do Speed Cameras save lives? Statistics from around the world and Australia suggest not! Why? Because speed cameras target the vast majority of law abiding citizens who travel a few kms over the speed limit, not the true causes of road fatalities! Speed Cameras are "fools gold" for governments looking for a quick fix solution to road deaths, but prove a bonanza for cash strapped governments looking to reduce police manpower and raise revenue. Add to this mix speed detection technology that is inaccurate, low speed tolerance limits and a court system that is blind to these problems and you have a recipe for disaster. |
Road Patrol Cops Replaced by Cameras
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Why do you think speed cameras are so appealing to governments? Simple, speed cameras are cheaper to run than real police. Speed cameras don't ask for pay rises or let off drivers with a warning - Real cops do! It's based on a false economy to save money and raise revenue. What the community gets is a rise in road deaths and a bunch of young road hoons running the streets like a scene out of the movie "Mad Max" Don't believe it? I live in Western Australia where the Police Traffic Branch was amalgamated with the local suburban police stations. So who looks after the streets now? Basically, its a free for all.
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Ghost Plates™
Anti Speed Camera Protection Number Plate Cover
Click here
The Editor of The Observer wrote :
"Last week, the government announced a three-month moratorium on further speed cameras. This was partly in response to the work of engineer Paul Smith [Safe Speed's founder], who has spent 5,000 hours finding out why, though the number of cameras has risen exponentially, there has been no corresponding reduction in traffic fatalities. He concludes that, far from acting as a deterrent, speed cameras take responsibility for safe speed away from drivers, and their concentration from the road. Cameras are as likely to cause an accident as to prevent one." (link)
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