Victoria - Speed Camera News
Victorian Government in Damage Control
The Age - Melbourne
VICTORIAN Police Minister Tim Holding has overturned the Government's longstanding |
resistance to revealing the locations of speed cameras, listing 2593 potential mobile camera sites statewide.
Read full story or Better still get the full list |
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VICTORIA’S hidden speed traps will be scrapped
and there will be greater tolerance in the enforcement of speed limits under a future Liberal government, the party’s state leader says. Liberal government would reintroduce the 10 per cent speed zone tolerance
.Read the full story.
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Victorians are distrustful of speed cameras and disdainful of their ability to save lives, a survey released today shows. Victorians believe speeding fines are primarily a revenue raising exercise, while 58 per cent of those surveyed indicated they didn't trust the accuracy of the machines. The state ranked first in both categories.
Read the full story.
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Rogue Drivers Shoot at Speed Cameras
Holly Lloyd-McDonald, Mark Buttler and Jacqueline Freegard
09dec05
SHOTS have been blasted into freeway speed cameras as police battle to control wild driving by rogue young drivers. The newly installed cameras on the West Gate Freeway were badly damaged when someone opened fire with a high-powered gun. Read the full story. |
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What a Mess!!!
Victorian drivers have been banned from the road because of wrongly issued speeding fines, says a former speed camera operator (Radar reflections court defence) Read Full Story.
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Camera Operators Not Playing by the Rules?
Speed camera readings can be distorted by metal signs, fences, walls and even Australia Post letter boxes, according to a secret police document.
(See our website FOI section for details on these documents we obtained last year. These documents are your best chance of a court defence) Read Full Story
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Victorian Government in Damage Control
VICTORIAN Police Minister Tim Holding has overturned the Government's longstanding resistance to revealing the locations of speed cameras, listing 2593 potential mobile camera sites statewide.
Despite his predecessor's claim that divulging the locations of mobile speed cameras would undermine their deterrent effect, Mr Holding said yesterday he wanted to reassure motorists the cameras were deployed properly.
But the locations of cameras on a daily basis would not be revealed because motorists should not be encouraged to slow down only at specific locations.
"We believe it's time to move on from the debate about where potential speed cameras can be located and instead focus the debate on the things that we can do as a community to get motorists to slow down," Mr Holding said.
He said more than 30 per cent of serious crashes in Victoria were related to speeding, and the Opposition's policy of encouraging greater tolerance of speeding would lead to more accidents.
Releasing the Victoria Police speed camera manual, which sets out where mobile cameras may be located, Mr Holding said he wanted a "transparent, open and accountable" policy and to show cameras were not put in "sneaky locations".
"This manual puts to bed some of the myths about the deployment of speed cameras," he said.
The manual suggests that speed cameras not be located on downhill sections of road, on bends, or within 200 metres of a change in the speed limit. But exceptions are made for sites with a history of major speed-related crashes, children's crossings and school zones.
Speed camera vehicles are not to be disguised as breakdowns and camera equipment is not to be hidden by posts, rubbish bins or vegetation.
Opposition Leader Robert Doyle said the Government's changed stance demonstrated "breathtaking hypocrisy". He said the Opposition had repeatedly called for the sites to be made public.
"A little more than two years ago, Labor was accusing the Liberal Party of encouraging speeding with this policy, but is today prepared to adopt that policy following a Liberal Party and media campaign," Mr Doyle said.
RACV public policy general manager Ken Ogden applauded the release of the camera sites and said a mix of overt and covert enforcement measures was the right approach for road safety. He said the public would now know where the cameras could be without knowing whether they were functioning on a given day.
"Our view is that enforcement is an important part of road safety but the cameras should be located at sites where there is a speed safety problem," Dr Ogden said.
NSW police alert drivers to the presence of mobile speed cameras with warning signs, and in specific campaigns during holiday periods will alert drivers to speed camera locations.
A NSW police spokeswoman said the warning was considered appropriate because drivers would not necessarily know they had been caught speeding as they would not receive an on-the-spot fine. "A lot of these cameras are placed at black spots where we need people to slow down, and if that's happening, that's a good thing," she said.
Victorian Assistant Commissioner Noel Ashby said police took account of practices interstate, but set policy according to what was best for the state.
"Victorians ought never forget that we are world leaders in road safety," Mr Ashby said. He said the mobile cameras were supported by hand-held radar and mobile radar equipment in rural Victoria.
Mr Ashby denied that releasing mobile camera locations was a response to public pressure.
Victorian Liberals to Scrap Hidden Traps
Robert Doyle
VICTORIA’S hidden speed traps will be scrapped and there will be greater tolerance in the enforcement of speed limits under a future Liberal government, the party’s state leader says.
Opposition Leader Robert Doyle pledged to “end Victoria’s covert speed camera regime” by making speed camera vehicles identifiable and by publishing the location of speed camera sites.
He also said a future Liberal government would reintroduce the 10 per cent speed zone tolerance whereby drivers caught exceeding the speed limit by up to 10 per cent would not be booked.
Mr Doyle said it was unfair to fine people travelling a few kilometres over the speed limit, “particularly when the equipment cannot be measured that accurately”.
“While we want people to slow down, we don’t want to slug them unfairly,” Mr Doyle said.
“At the moment, the Bracks Government is just collecting revenue, it’s not about road safety.”
Mr Doyle said highly visible speed camera vehicles were a better deterrent than receiving a fine in the mail one month after speeding.
The Liberals’ plan also includes setting up speed cameras at dangerous, not high revenue, sites and rationalising “confusing” speed zones, he said.
Other measures include a plan to establish six driver education centres around the state, setting aside $4 million so learner drivers can receive three professional lessons and a requirement for learners to record 120 hours of driving practice in a log book.
The Liberals would also abolish the CBD and inner suburbs long-term parking tax, which began on January 1 at $400 and will double next year, reinstate the $80 car registration rebate for pensioners and encourage the use of public transport through free park-and-ride car parks at railway stations and bus interchanges.
Victorian Speed Cameras Most Despised
Victorians are distrustful of speed cameras and disdainful of their ability to save lives, a survey released today shows.
Figures from motor insurance company AAMI show 64 per cent of Victorians believe speeding fines are primarily a revenue raising exercise, while 58 per cent of those surveyed indicated they didn't trust the accuracy of the machines. The state ranked first in both categories.
Victorian Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder believes the statistics show people are confused about laws regarding speed cameras.
"There is an awful lot of unknown with the sys tem at the moment and that distrust has been created out of failure of equipment, failure to maintain equipment and a hidden law that no one understands," Mr Mulder said.
"They are also angry about the fact that there have been so many mistakes with speed camera equipment. They have no assurances that it's now operating accurately," he added. In a policy launch last week, the Opposition announced it would, among other things, publish the locations of all speed cameras in Victoria and fix the cameras' tolerance levels at 10 per cent.
In a statement, a spokesman for Victorian TAC Minister John Lenders said drivers put their lives at risk by breaking the speed limit and that it was never safe to speed.
Police declined to comment on the survey, with a spokeswoman saying police normally didn't comment on surveys done by outside bodies.
The new statistics were gleaned from the claims data of the car insurer and a survey of 2,400 people nationwide.
The release of the data follows an Easter holiday period marred by three road deaths in Victoria, and police also caught a P-plate driver travelling at more than 80kph over the speed limit.
"The weekend toll, and our research, suggests Victorians are failing to respect the laws and the value of human life, including their own," AAMI public affairs manager Geoff Hughes said today.
"We have seen drivers of all ages, both on motorcycles and in cars, driving at ridiculous and excessive speeds."
Meanwhile, 29 per cent of Victorian motorists also admit they will "sometimes speed to get to work or home sooner", according to the data.
"Speed cameras and speeding fines clearly have an image problem on Victorian roads," Mr Hughes said.
"But it is still no excuse for speeding and putting lives at risk."
The research also found 17 per cent of Victorian motorists admit to speeding more on country roads, and 11 per cent often sped on local suburban roads and around schools.
Faulty cameras give drivers $15m refund
MOTORISTS zipping over Melbourne's largest bridge could be in for a nasty surprise after fixed speed cameras were turned on for the first time yesterday
Read Full Story.
Trouble-plagued speed cameras on the Western Ring Road have cost the State Government more than $15 million in refunds and, because of delays in the tendering process, they will not be reactivated until next year.
Read Full Story.
Wabbit Season - Duck Season - No! Speed Camera Season
Rogue Drivers Shoot at Speed Cameras
Debris was scattered by the freeway yesterday and the equipment bore bullet-holes and a shattered lens.
The damage bill is estimated at $40,000.
Sgt Ian Vistarini, from Altona North police, said the attack is believed to have happened between Monday night and 2am Tuesday.
He said the shooter probably stood on the Grieve Rd on-ramp, at Altona North, and opened fire.
"A number of bullets have gone right in," Sgt Vistarini said.
"The big issue is the use of a gun in such a public place. There are motorists at all hours of the night on the freeway."
He said the stretch of city-bound road joining the Princes Freeway on to the West Gate Freeway is known as a high-speed area.
Contractors were pelted with flying missiles by angry motorists as they installed the equipment last month.
"It took days for the guys to put up the cameras as cherry-pickers had to be used and the lanes closed," Sgt Vistarini said.
"The contractors reported to us cases of people throwing objects like fruit.
"So we sent patrol cars around to keep an eye on them as they were trying to work overnight on some occasions."
A VicRoads spokeswoman said about 120,000 vehicles travel in both directions along the freeway every day.
Camera pieces were collected by police and taken for forensic and ballistic testing.
The camera shooting came as police reported a string of alarming incidents in Melbourne's west involving P-plate drivers.
In one recent case, a P-plater in a Toyota Supra was caught tearing along the Melton Highway at Hillside at 192km/h in an 80km/h section.
Another was nabbed at 171km/h in Ballarat Rd, Deer Park, in a 70km/h zone. He was driving a Nissan 350Z.
Police said one of the men was 30 and the other in his late 20s. They were still on P-plates at those ages because of their appalling driving records.
Other recent P-plate readings include drivers travelling on the Western Ring Rd at 168km/h, 165km/h and 148km/h.
In another disturbing case, a P-plater was charged with conduct endangering life after a serious road accident in Footscray. Police found weapons and heroin in his car.
Sen-Constable Ian Guyatt, of Maribyrnong traffic management unit, said the behaviour of probationary drivers was a major frustration.
"I find that probably 60 per cent of my speeders are P-platers," he said.
POLICE are investigating two hit-run incidents in Melbourne.
A 26-year-old man from Endeavour Hills was hit as he crossed John Fawkner Drive and Raymond McMahon Boulevard in Endeavour Hills late Wednesday night.
The driver left the scene but returned a short time later and is helping police.
The victim suffered serious head and leg injuries and was taken to the Alfred hospital. He was in a stable condition.
In the other incident, a woman was struck on the corner of La Trobe and Swanston Streets in the city just before 3am yesterday. She received minor injuries
Police suspect the shooter could be a disgruntled driver. (Listen Audio)
Bridge Speed Cameras Activated
October 2, 2005
MOTORISTS zipping over Melbourne's largest bridge could be in for a nasty surprise after fixed speed cameras were turned on for the first time yesterday.
Cameras were installed on the West Gate Bridge more than two years ago but were never used after faults were found with speed cameras on the Western Ring Road in November 2003.
The State Government was last year forced to reimburse $26 million in fines to motorists and to pay compensation to 1500 motorists who lost licences in the speed camera fiasco.
But Police and Emergency Services Minister Tim Holding said the $2 million upgraded camera system on the bridge would be stringently maintained.
Four new cameras check motorists' speed twice, using two different methods, before photographing the offending vehicle, Mr Holding said.
The camera housing had also been upgraded to shield the devices from possible electromagnetic interference.
Mr Holding said the system would boost safety on the West Gate Bridge, which he said was one of Melbourne's most notorious black spots.
Eighty-nine people were injured in crashes on the bridge from July 1999 to June last year, he said.
"Speed cameras are about changing the attitude and behaviour of Victorian drivers in the same way a cultural change for wearing seat belts and drink-driving has been achieved," Mr Holding said.
"Leading-edge technology will make this a reliable and fair system."
The Victorian Opposition said the Government should make details of the cameras' operation public to reassure motorists the new devices were reliable.
"It's still shrouded in secrecy," Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder said.
Faulty cameras give drivers $15m refund
Trouble-plagued speed cameras on the Western Ring Road have cost the State Government more than $15 million in refunds and, because of delays in the tendering process, they will not be reactivated until next year.
The Government had planned for the cameras to be in operation by the end of the year but it has been forced to concede the correction procedures are behind schedule.
A source says the cameras will not be operational until "some time in 2006" and that the tender might have to be reissued.
A spokesman for the Justice Department, which oversees the operation of fixed speed cameras through the road safety enforcement technology unit, said the department was happy with tenders received and the contract would soon be awarded.
Toby Hemming, spokesman for Police Minister Tim Holding, said the delay occurred because the Government and the Department of Justice were "ensuring that Victorians get the fairest and most reliable system possible".
Fixed speed cameras were turned off on the Western Ring Road in May last year after it was found some were registering faulty results.
The Government has since paid out more than $15 million to thousands of motorists.
Of the estimated 90,000 motorists entitled to a refund, the Government says 86,908 have been paid $12.8 million, another 1740 have received $1.4 million in travel expenses and $1.15 million has been paid to 164 people for loss of income.
The Government has chosen not to collect another $6.1 million in fines for infringements put on hold after camera operations were suspended.
The Government confirms that speed cameras on Geelong Road will become operational later this year and point-to-point cameras on the Hume Highway will be activated next year.
The Government is forecasting a 15 per cent jump in fines and regulatory fees, to $727 million, in 2005-06. The increase is attributed to lower than expected revenue from traffic infringements in 2004-05 because of the faulty speed cameras.
An increase in the number of speed cameras in 2005-06 will also lift revenue.
Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder said speed camera revenue would be used to boost the budget.
"Police Minister Tim Holding, in his budget, has to find $50 million for a new computer system to replace the LEAP database system," he said.
"I have no doubt that they are going to roll out the cameras as hard as they can as a ways and means of dragging in as much income to cover that loss in the Police Department's budget."
Mr Mulder, who said the public lacked confidence in speed cameras, was calling for greater transparency in their installation, maintenance and verification. He said he hoped the Government had made every effort to find and reimburse wrongly fined motorists.
Justice Department spokesman Darren Whitelaw said more than 5000 lives had been saved in Victoria since the introduction of speed cameras in 1989.
"Better roads and safer cars have played a part, but the role of speed cameras in getting people to slow down cannot be underestimated," he said.
The state's road toll yesterday stood at 255, four fewer than at the same time last year.
Secrets of Speed Cameras Revealed
Ellen Whinnett
04aug05
MOBILE speed camera readings can be distorted by metal signs, fences, walls and even Australia Post letter boxes, according to a secret police document.
The potential flaws in the controversial cameras -- which took $104 million in speeding fines from Victorian motorists last year -- are detailed in a confidential police rule book.
The 50-page Speed Camera Policy and Operations Manual also identifies a major operational weakness in the cameras, which monitor multi-lane roads.
But for road safety reasons the Herald Sun has chosen not to give details of this gap. Police have fought to keep the April 2004 manual a secret.
However a copy obtained by the Herald Sun shows:
CAMERAS are not to be set up on bends.
- OPERATORS must not camouflage or disguise the cameras in a way that could lead to a public perception of "sly operations".
- CAMERAS can be used on a downhill road only if the road has a significant history of speed-related accidents.
- TOLERANCE levels, where motorists can travel over the speed limit without being fined, are flexible.
- POLICE book so many people to reinforce the message that it is not worth the risk to speed.
- THE locations of fixed speed cameras are chosen to maximise the number of people who can be caught speeding.
- CAMERAS must not be set up within 200m of a change to the speed zone.
- CAMERAS can be used within 200m of a change to the zone in a children's crossing area or a school zone with prior approval of senior police.
Former speed camera operator Graeme Marr will use a court hearing in Melbourne today to highlight his concerns about radar beams bouncing off reflective objects and giving false readings.
Mr Marr will tell the court that motorists had lost their licences because of wrongly issued speeding fines.
Police Minister Tim Holding said processes were in place to ensure Victorian motorists were not unfairly fined or prosecuted.
"Before taking photographs, operators must ensure there are no reflective objects or surfaces in the camera beam," he said
"The simple presence of a reflective object or surface within the speed camera photograph itself does not render the camera's reading incorrect.
Mr Holding said that in coming months the Government would release the existing speed camera criteria.
Transport Accident Commission figures show that 699,638 speeding offences were caught on camera last financial year, generating $104 million for the State Government. The manual shows that booking a large number of people is a key part in the speed camera program.
"(The philosophy) . . . aims to create a broad community perception through general and specific deterrents that the chance of detection is so high that speeding is not worth the risk," the policy states.
Operators are told they must not hide cameras. "To maintain community confidence in the speed camera initiative, it is important for the operational use of the devices to be seen as fair and reasonable," the policy states.
"Under no circumstances are speed camera vehicles, tripods or flash units to be disguised by signs, logos, breakdown of vehicle (eg: boot open or spare wheel jack visible, etc,), tree branches, lamp posts, dust bins or any other means that would generate public perceptions of sly operations."
The State Opposition has taken the case to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, arguing police should have released the protocols under Freedom of Information laws.
The document shows that specific restrictions are placed on the mobile speed cameras to address problems with reflective objects corrupting speed readings.
The rule book states cameras should not be set up on or near an overpass, or facing an elevated adjacent road that may carry traffic past the extended speed camera radar beam.
Other sources of reflection are pole-mounted electricity supply transformers, metal signs such as house-for-sale or auction signs and Armco road barriers.
Metal bus stop shelters, public telephone booths, Australia Post letter-boxes, sheet metal garage doors, fences, factory walls and closely spaced iron picket fences are all listed as possible reflectors capable of distorting speed readings.
The document also confirms widespread speculation that tolerance levels are a moveable figure. Tolerance levels are set by law at 2km/h for fixed cameras and 3km/h for mobile cameras.
But the limit at which police started issuing tickets has been a secret. The policy manual states threshold speeds will be chosen depending on the number of complaints about speeding and "ongoing evaluation of road trauma levels".
Speed Camera Reflections Defence
Herald Sun - Victoria Radar bans under attack
Ellen Whinnett
04aug05
| Expert: Graeme Marr next to a steel shed that would effect speed camera readings.
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(See our website FOI section for details on these documents we obtained last year. These documents are your best chance of a court defence) |
VICTORIAN drivers have been banned from the road because of wrongly issued speeding fines, says a former speed camera operator.
Graeme Marr, 41, of Meadow Heights, said driving licences had been suspended and cancelled as a result of the incorrect tickets. He said problems caused by reflected radar beams were "rife in camera operations".
Radar beams reflected off metal objects can corrupt speed readings and lead to an incorrect ticket being issued. Strict instructions are enclosed in the Victoria Police operators manual on how such reflections should be avoided.
Mr Marr will make his claims today in the Broadmeadows Magistrates Court, where he is appearing as a defence witness for Glenn Hilburn, who is fighting a charge of driving at 69km/h in a 60km/h zone.
Mr Marr said camera operators routinely set up in areas that breached the provisions of the manual, by having reflective surfaces in the path of the radar beam.
"You just can't do that because you don't know what you're getting," he said. Mr Marr conceded he left camera operator Tenix on bad terms after just four months but said his motivation was to let the public know the truth.
A licensed security agent, he has run his own security company for 17 years. He said he would be giving evidence about "site 32265", on Pascoe Vale Rd at Oak Park, where Mr Hilburn was booked for allegedly exceeding the limit.
He said he had refused to set up at the site because of the problems with reflections.
Do Victorians Trust Speed Cameras?
ABC RADIO Melbourne
The Speed Cameras have returned to CityLink and the Monash Freeway in Melbourne after being removed because they were inaccurate.
Do you trust speed cameras? Have you noticed any change in the way people have been driving while the Melbourne speed cameras haven’t been working? ABC Melbourne 774's Derek Guille explored these questions with plenty of road users calling in with their opinions.
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Spot the Speed Cameras!
Virginia Trioli continued the discussion the following afternoon on ABC RADIO asking listeners if they are confident in the new cameras?
Listen Now -
Radio Audio
Derek Guille explored these questions with road users during the Evening Program
Listen Now -
Radio Audio
Click to Download Real Player for free here. |
Monash University Studies into Victoria's Speed Cameras
Editor policespeedcameras.com 5th July 2005
There are a number of papers and studies conducted by Monash University into the effectiveness of speed detection devices both static and mobile in Victoria.
What I found interesting when reading some of these papers, was how difficult it is to really know what is going on with the jumble of statistics used in these studies. What is the effect of TV road safety commercials and campaigns on road crash statistics and are they attributing some success to speed cameras by mistake?
This paper in particular drew my attention, entitled Monash University Accident Research Centre - Report No. 200 - 2003 (Sponsoring Organisation: Baseline Research Program - Department of Justice, Transport Accident Commission, VicRoads) It pointed out the reduction of minor accidents and casualty accidents but made no reference to fatal vehicle accident statistics at all. I could only draw one conclusion, that there was no effect on fatal accident statistics. Further, this report repeatedly draws attention to the effectiveness of speed detection devices reducing accidents during "alcohol drinking hours".
This report says that speed detection devices such as speed cameras reduce accidents during alcohol drinking times of the day. The obvious deduction from this evidence is that speed cameras slow down intoxicated drivers so that they don't bump into as many car, letter boxes and traffic signs on the way home!
Perhaps the Victorian Government should be more concerned about catching intoxicated drivers than penalising the majority of responsible drivers with their speed camera crusade?
Some of these reports make interesting reading -
Speed Camera Moneyspinners
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Channel 7 Today Tonight REPORTER: David Richardson and Rodney Lohse
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Are speed cameras life savers or revenue raisers? They bring in huge amounts of revenue for state governments, but do speed cameras really make our roads safer? Expert opinion is divided - some cameras bring in thousands of dollars every day.
To some, fixed speed cameras represent legitimate lifesavers. To others they're just revenue raising machines.
One fixed speed camera in New South Wales made an estimated $25,000 today alone. On school days another camera makes $127 per minute.
If you believe the government, fixed speed cameras save lives. Believe the critics and they're just another form of tax.
British sociologist Dr Alan Buckingham claims speed cameras don't save lives.
"The problem is speed cameras change the way in which we drive," Dr Buckingham said. "They change us from careful, observant, thinking drivers to people who become concerned with just obeying the speed limit."
According to Dr Buckingham speed isn't the problem.
"Ninety seven per cent of accidents are not as a result of excessive speed," he said. "Only seven per cent of accidents are the result of excessive speed so therefore they are catching the wrong people."
It's making bucket loads of cash for state governments, but at the same time people who are obviously exceeding the speed limit are being caught.
Professor Max Cameron of Monash University's Accident Research Centre is a firm advocate for using speed cameras to slow people down.
"By catching and sending infringement notices to large amounts of drivers who are speeding on our roads, that really does change their behaviour," Professor Cameron said.
But does it change their behaviour for better or worse? And how accurate are the cameras?
Vanessa Bridges is almost a household name in Melbourne. She and her trusty, yet rusty, Datsun 120Y showed Victoria's fixed speed camera system to be fatally flawed when she was booked at 158 km/h - a speed later judged impossible for her car.
And a man named Jeff copped a fine in the mail for speeding in Tasmania. He's not sure it's accurate.
"The problem is I've never been to Tasmania in my bloody life," Jeff said.
How could a state-of-the-art digital camera make such a basic mistake?
Jeff says the Tasmanian traffic authorities offered him an explanation.
"'Sometimes when we do send out these notices they're not always right because an 'O' in your registration number could have been a "Q" or could have been something else'," Jeff explained.
In New South Wales there are 110 fixed cameras watching your speed, while Victoria has 'covert' speed cameras hidden from motorists' view.
It seems there is sometimes a vast distance between where governments put their cameras and where accidents actually happen. In Victoria the two highest-grossing camera spots in Victoria for speed fines are not black spots but open roads.
David Cumming of the RACV is calling for Victoria's government to rethink its speed camera placement and road safety plan, raising awareness of speed cameras - particularly in black spots.
"Identifying the black spots and putting money into it is a great way to save lives," he said.
Speed Cameras are coming back in Melbourne
Wednesday, 22 December 2004
The Speed Cameras have returned to CityLink and the Monash Freeway in Melbourne.
The Victorian State Government is confident about the accuracy of fixed speed cameras coming back into operation. The cameras were removed in May when faults were detected with cameras on the Western Ring Road. At the same time, police expect the number of motorists detected speeding in the city link tunnels to return to the levels prior to the cameras being removed.
The Assistant Commissioner for Traffic, Bob Hastings, says the cameras had detected around 150 speeding motorists per day, although the majority of drivers do seem to be getting the anti-speeding message.
The Police Minister, Andre Haermeyer, says a back-up verification system has been installed on the camera system and drivers can have faith the speed readings are accurate. "If they challenge the first test, there's a second test that can tell us whether they have or haven't been speeding, so we're very confident about the accuracy of these cameras, we're very confident about the reliability" he said.
The Police Minister, Andre Haermeyer, says fixed speed cameras are yet to be reinstated on the Western Ring Road, but 'mobile' cameras will be used for the time being. "We expect them to come back on line by late next year, however, in the mean time we have constructed some bunkers along the Western Ring Road which will enable mobile cameras to operate with relative safety," he said.
Do you trust them? Have you noticed any change in the way people have been driving while the cameras haven’t been working? 774's Derek Guille explored these questions with plenty of road users calling in with their opinions.
Hear these conversations by clicking on the 'Audio 30/11/04' link below.
But the story doesn't stop there!
The State Opposition says figures released under Freedom of Information further undermine confidence in Victoria's speed cameras. It has released documents showing a three kilometre an hour difference between the readings on many mobile speed cameras and the readings on hand held cameras when pointed at the same car.
Police Minister Andre Haermeyer says the difference between the readings on the cameras is not how their accuracy is determined. However, Transport Spokesman, Terry Mulder, says the disparity between negates the discretion given to motorists before they're booked for speeding.
The State Government has defended the procedures used to test the accuracy of mobile speed cameras. The Opposition has released documents it says prove motorists continue to be booked by inaccurate cameras.
The Police Minister, Andre Hayermeyer, has told Parliament, if the difference between the two cameras is more than three kilometres and hour, the camera is removed from operation.
Each camera is verified a number of times a day so each time it relocates to a new location it is verified against a hand held camera, they are not required by legislation to do this but they do this themselves anyhow to give themselves the satisfaction that those cameras are accurate.
Virginia Trioli continued the discussion the following afternoon asking listeners if they are confident in the new cameras?
Hear these conversations by clicking on the 'Audio 1/12/04' link below.
Audio 30/12/04
Derek Guille explored these questions with road users during the Evening Program
Audio 1/12/04
Virginia Trioli continued the discussion the following afternoon asking listeners if they are confident in the new cameras?
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