MOBILE speed cameras have been switched back on for late-night duty after a month off Victoria's roads.
Private speed camera operator Tenix wound back its operations on July 1 after a string of attacks on operators. Full Story.
New Bungle with Speed Cameras
VICTORIA'S speed camera system is plagued with errors, says Police Minister Tim Holding, who was forced to announce the withdrawal of another round of incorrect speeding fines yesterday. Read the full story.
Speed Camera Farce Nets 1000
17jun06
MORE than 1000 Victorians have been wrongly booked by speed cameras in a string of bungles that have threatened the operator's $460 million contract. Read the full story.
Melbourne - Geelong Freeway
FIXED speed cameras on the Melbourne to Geelong freeway are to be switched on after a two-year delay. January 13, 2006 Read the full story.
February 7, 2006
Speed Cameras Turned On
February 7, 2006
ABOUT 1200 motorists have been caught speeding each day since speed cameras on the Geelong road were switched on a week ago.
On the first operating day for the cameras, January 30, nearly 2000 speeding drivers were nabbed.more.
Night Speed Traps Back
August 02, 2006
MOBILE speed cameras have been switched back on for late-night duty after a month off Victoria's roads.
Private speed camera operator Tenix wound back its operations on July 1 after a string of attacks on operators.
Operators have since been clocking off at 8pm instead of 11pm.
But talks with the State Government and Victoria Police had mobile speed cameras back in action last night with extra security in place.
Police said that there would be video surveillance and patrol cars nearby. An attack in June left an operator covered in glass and suffering cuts and shock.
Assistant Commissioner (traffic) Noel Ashby said drivers who attacked camera operators were cowards.
"There will be police nearby and other forms of evidence collection including video evidence," he said.
Speed cameras generate about $130 million a year for the state.
The number of fixed and mobile speed cameras in Victoria rose from 114 in 2003 to 115 in 2004 and 144 in 2005.
New Bungle with Speed Cameras
Peter Ker and Mathew Murphy
July 12, 2006
AdvertisementVICTORIA'S speed camera system is plagued with errors, says Police Minister Tim Holding, who was forced to announce the withdrawal of another round of incorrect speeding fines yesterday.
After the latest bungle, government contractor Tenix will be hit with another big fine when its representatives meet Mr Holding today, and more doubt cast on its hopes of retaining its lucrative contract.
The State Government said yesterday that another 72 motorists had been wrongly fined by Tenix, in the eighth such incident since the company took over mobile speed camera operations in Victoria in 1998.
Mr Holding, who last November said he was "fed up" with Tenix's bungles, vowed to take a hard line with the company, but the RACV accused him of trying to shift the blame.
The latest bungle took place on April 18 on Plenty Road, Bundoora, when a camera set up to record drivers travelling faster than 60 km/h was set up in an 80 km/h zone.
Mr Holding said the error had been realised by the camera operator, and it was of more concern that fines were still issued after the error was reported to Tenix's head office.
"We are making it very clear that when Tenix make a mistake that undermines public confidence in the system, the Government will impose a fine on them," Mr Holding said. "Tenix have to put in place better procedures to protect motorists."
Tenix said it would refund any incorrect fines that had been paid. It described the mistake as a "back-office clerical error".
The Government is not allowed to fine Tenix under the present contract, but the company is unlikely to fight any fines with the renegotiation of its contract just 12 months away.
Asked if Tenix would accept the fines, a spokesman said the company would listen to the minister's proposal today.
Tenix fired a camera operator last November after a bungle resulted in 41 motorists being incorrectly fined.
RACV's manager of public policy, Ken Ogden, said responsibility for camera bungles lay with the Government.
"The Government decided to outsource it, so they own it," he said. "Trying to shift the blame on to the contractors is unacceptable."
The Government's mobile speed camera contract with Tenix is worth more than $200 million.
Despite promising a hard line against the company, Mr Holding said Tenix would not be deleted from the list of candidates when the contract is reviewed.
Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu called for Premier Steve Bracks to intervene to restore Victorians' confidence in the system, which he said had "long since evaporated".
He said there was a culture of mediocrity in the Government, "of unsatisfactory performance and (of) a minister that keeps rolling out excuses and a Premier that won't get involved".
Speed Camera Farce Nets 1000
Ellen Whinnett
state politics reporter
17jun06
MORE than 1000 Victorians have been wrongly booked by speed cameras in a string of bungles that have threatened the operator's $460 million contract.
The State Government has hit Tenix Solutions with a six-figure fine for the errors.
It fined the company after it discovered Victoria Police withdrew 1130 speed camera tickets because operators employed by Tenix made mistakes setting up their cameras.
On 13 occasions, operators either set up their cameras in the wrong speed zone or failed to ensure there were no objects such as metal fences which could distort readings.
The mistakes occurred in 2004 and last year on suburban and country roads and major arterials.
On each occasion, Victoria Police's traffic camera office sent out letters telling motorists not to pay their fines or offering refunds if they had paid.
The worst bungle was on the Hume Highway at Craigieburn on March 23, 2004, when 303 tickets were wrongly issued after the operator incorrectly set up the camera.
Another 250 tickets were withdrawn after an operator set up a camera incorrectly on Bolton Rd, Wyndham Vale, on June 16 last year.
With the average speed camera fine in Victoria $160, the 1130 cancelled fines would have raised about $180,000.
Speed cameras generate $130 million for the Government each year.
The bungles were discovered in an audit and, on about six occasions, Tenix failed to tell the Government its mistakes.
The discovery has so infuriated the Government it plans to put the lucrative five-year speed camera contract out for tender when it expires next year, and force Tenix to reapply for it along with other competitors.
Tenix would be likely to win the next contract, but it is believed the Government plans to toughen penalty clauses to make it easier for the operator to be penalised if mistakes are made.
Police Minister Tim Holding confirmed the Government had fined Tenix when it discovered the errors.
"We have been unsatisfied with Tenix's conduct in relation to these matters and so we have penalised them," he said.
"I'm not willing to disclose the amount but it is a six-figure sum.
"This is an amount that reflects out disappointment in what has happened.
"Our advice from Tenix is that systems and procedures have since been put into place to minimise the chances of similar errors occurring."
Police Assistant Commissioner (traffic) Noel Ashby said human error would always occur.
He said police would withdraw tickets if they believed they were wrongly issued.
"It's all part of us saying that, if the guidelines in the system weren't followed properly, we will withdraw," he said.
No comment could be obtained from Tenix last night.
Look out! speed cams are back
January 13, 2006
FIXED speed cameras on the Melbourne to Geelong freeway are to be switched on after a two-year delay.
Eight cameras — four in each direction — will capture speeding cars on the freeway from the end of this month.
Police Minister Tim Holding said yesterday that 20 people had been killed in accidents on the 75-kilometre stretch of road since 1994. "This has been a dangerous stretch of road."
During testing of the cameras in the first week of January, 577 vehicles were detected travelling more than 25 km/h over the limit. One car was detected doing 207 km/h. On New Year's Day another was detected at 178 km/h.
"That's excessive speeding," Mr Holding said. "That's people who pose a very real road safety risk.
"We want those people to change their driving behaviour, slow down and heed this message before the cameras are switched on."
Assistant Commissioner (Traffic) Noel Ashby said awareness of cameras slowed motorists down.
"Drivers instinctively slow down when they see a speed camera in place, which is a reaction that can save lives," he said.
The cameras got off to a bad start last month when someone used a high-powered gun to blast two of them. The cameras were badly damaged.
It was another instalment in a troubled speed camera saga. In 2004, the Government was forced to reimburse $26 million in fines to motorists and compensate 1500 who lost licences after faults were found with speed cameras on the Western Ring Road.
The Geelong road cameras were originally expected to be in operation by January 2004.
Mr Holding said concerns about dysfunctional cameras had not caused the delay. However, he said the new cameras would be maintained stringently.
"The Government has made sure that there is appropriate second image speed verification in place so that we can make absolutely sure that motorists who receive an infringement were actually speeding," he said.
"We have made absolutely sure that the technology is performing appropriately and that the maintenance program is in place to support those cameras.
"These cameras will perform accurately and will make sure that every speeding driver who is infringed was speeding at the time the infringement was issued.
"These cameras are not here to raise revenue for the Government. They are here to make drivers drive within the speed limit, to drive safely. That's what we want these cameras to do."
But Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder criticised the new cameras, saying the road was chosen as a grab for revenue.
"The road is one of the safest in the state … they are targeting traffic volumes," he said.
Speed Cameras Turned On
The Age - By Selma Milovanovic
February 7, 2006
ABOUT 1200 motorists have been caught speeding each day since speed cameras on the Geelong road were switched on a week ago.
On the first operating day for the cameras, January 30, nearly 2000 speeding drivers were nabbed.
Assistant Commissioner (Traffic) Noel Ashby said the results were very disappointing.
"It is a significant risk for all using the road," he said. "There is only one message along Geelong road and any other road: don't speed."
During a trial period, when penalties were not issued, more than 5500 drivers were caught speeding on January 25.
Mr Ashby said the location of speed cameras needed to be made public as drivers usually slowed down when they were aware of them.
"We don't know what else to do but be frank with the public and tell people what we're doing," Mr Ashby said.
"We've done that on this occasion and we're still seeing a significant number of people being detected by cameras on the Geelong road exceeding the speed limit."
During the past 11 years, 20 people have been killed and 785 injured on the notorious stretch of road, between the Western Ring Road and Shell Parade/ Forest Road, formerly Bayside Road, near Geelong.
The eight fixed speed cameras — four in each
direction — were switched on after a two-year delay.
In December, someone fired a gun to blast two of the cameras, badly damaging them.
In 2004, the Government reimbursed $26 million in fines and compensated 1500 drivers who lost licences after cameras on the Western Ring Road were found to be faulty. Mr Ashby said the Geelong road speed camera photographs would be verified.
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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."
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
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.
Microwave Radar Perimeter Protection - Infrared Perimeter Barriers - Surveillance Cameras - Surveillance Gear - Digital Video Recording Systems Available in Australia
The Editor of The Observer wrote (17th July 2005):
"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)
