Earn a quick buck

18sep05

DRIVERS have been fined more than $2.5 million in one year for slightly exceeding the 50km/h speed limit on just three city roads.

The revelations have prompted claims of "blatant revenue-raising" amid allegations many motorists are confused about speed limits on wide city streets.

The most lucrative stretch was the six-lane King William Rd between North Adelaide and North Tce, which reaped $926,586 from motorists travelling more than 50km/h but under 60km/h.

A list of the top 10 roads for speeding fines for drivers exceeding the 50km/h speed limit but not going over 60km/h last year shows seven of the 10 were in the Adelaide City Council area.

The figures were released by Police Minister Kevin Foley in answer to a question by independent MP Terry Cameron, a long-time opponent of speed cameras.

"The way they do the 50km/h zones is a bit stuffed up," Mr Cameron said. "I call it (King William Rd) the million-dollar road."

The large number of fines shows motorists are confused about speed limits in the Adelaide City Council area, according to councillor Anne Moran.

She said the decision to limit speeds on arterial roads in the city to 50km/h, unlike similar roads outside the city, was "blatant revenue-raising".

"It's like saying `welcome to the city – and here's a $200 fine'," Ms Moran said.

King William Rd ranked number one in the top 10 list of metropolitan roads for the most number of motorists caught speeding between 50km/h and 60km/h by speed cameras in 2004. Other roads in and around the city which were targeted by police were North Tce, Hutt Rd, Jeffcott St and Peacock Rd, all making the top five.

King William Rd averaged more than 100 infringements each week. Motorists were fined an average $169 and lost one demerit point.

In November 2003 council wrote to then transport minister Michael Wright asking for changes to the speed limits on Peacock Rd and King William Rd, but the request was rejected in February 2004.

Again, in April 2004, the council approached Mr Wright to review the decision to keep the Festival Centre portion of King William Rd at 50km/h. In August the request was refused.

Subsequent approaches to Transport SA for approval to place permanent and temporary speed limit signs on the affected roads had met with mixed reactions. A council request to paint speed limits on some roads was made in February 2004, but was not replied to until six months later.

That request was also refused.

"The figures make it plain that there's confusion among Adelaide drivers – the Government is being stubborn in its refusal to explain their position, or to allow for better signage," Ms Moran said.

The 50km/h rules were brought in by the Government in March 2003 with a three month grace period.

In the first full year of operation more than 90,000 motorists were caught speeding between the new and old limits and were fined a total of $13.6 million.

The figures also show the most lucrative country road for drivers breaking the 60km/h speed limit was Pine Ave, Hahndorf, with fines of $86,965 for the 12-month period.

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South Australia: Speed Cameras Used on Safe Roads

USA - Thenewspaper.com 8/7/2005

Speed cameras are more often found on safe roads than dangerous roads in South Australia.

Opposition leaders in the South Australian Legislative Council have shown that speed cameras are being used far more frequently on safe roads than they are on dangerous roads. Police figures released during questioning in parliament show that in three years, cameras were used on the region's most dangerous road only thirteen times.

Two additional examples provide the contrast. A road without a speed camera, King William Rd at North Adelaide, had 100 injury accidents. A road where speed cameras were used eighty times, Fiveash Drive south of Adelaide, had only eleven injury accidents, none of which were fatal.

In response to this information, Liberal Member of the Legislative Council Michelle Lensink said, "The Government clearly is using areas where people are known to speed to raise revenue."

In the first six months of last year, speed cameras in the region issued 32,750 tickets generating AUD $3,516,871 in revenue. From March 2002 to January 2005, irate Australians attacked nine speed cameras causing $18,710 in damage.