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Queensland - VARIABLE speed limits that have incurred the wrath of drivers in the Clem7

VARIABLE speed limits that have incurred the wrath of drivers in the Clem7 are to be rolled out on other major roads.

The revelation comes as police statistics show that, on at least one day last year, revenue from speed fines in the tunnel outstripped money generated by tolls in the Clem7.

The variable limits are set to operate in Brisbane Airport Link when it opens mid-year and there also are plans to enforce the signs on the Gateway Motorway at Nudgee.

Motorists are currently given four minutes to adjust their speed when limits are dropped by as much as 40km/h in response to crashes, breakdowns or roadworks before fines are imposed.

Police have indicated that any enforcement of the variable limits elsewhere would be accompanied or preceded by an awareness campaign.

In the first four months of their enforcement in the Clem7, 8862 motorists were snapped in excess of the changed speed limit. It comes as the embattled owners of the Clem7 tunnel are considering raising tolls for cars to $4.50 - up from $3.95.

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QLD Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson caught speeding on Story Bridge, fined $133

POLICE Commissioner Bob Atkinson has been caught speeding on the Story Bridge a blunder he has revealed two days after police and The Courier-Mail launched a road safety campaign.

Mr Atkinson was caught on February 3 and was believed to be travelling at 70km/h in a 60km/h zone.

He will lose one demerit point and pay a fine of $133.

Mr Atkinson said he was embarrassed because of his position and because he had just been promoting the road safety message to media.

"I feel as though I've let you down, I feel as though I've let my colleagues down (and) I feel as though I've let the community down," he told reporters in Brisbane.

He has blamed the offence on a lapse in concentration.

He told reporters that he did not see the speed camera flash while he was driving with a colleague to police headquarters.

"It was brought to my notice that there might be an issue last Friday," he said.

It's not the first time the police chief been nabbed for driving too fast.

Mr Atkinson said he received a ticket for a similar speeding offence in 2009 while holidaying in NSW.

He said he was also caught speeding in 1998 when he was an assistant commissioner in far north Queensland based at Cairns.

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Push for tighter speed limits as Queensland's road toll soars

QUEENSLAND'S shocking January road toll has led to calls for the state's speed camera tolerance - the highest in the nation - to be lowered.

Road safety experts say the "unpublished" tolerance is so widely spoken about among drivers that they often ignore the posted limit and drive to a speed they know will not land them with a fine.

Police will not reveal how much leeway Queensland drivers are given for road safety reasons but The Courier-Mail understands it is more than any other state.

Queensland Police, who are responsible for setting the tolerance, have not ruled out a change.

In Victoria, motorists are given a widely publicised leeway of 3km/h before they are picked up by speed cameras, while in NSW, information released last year by the Office of State Revenue showed motorists were being fined for breaking the limit by as little as 1km/h.

The Tasmanian Government dropped its tolerance from 10km/h above the speed limit to an undisclosed figure in 2010, bringing in an extra $2 million in its first year.

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