The seven days a week tax machine. In Western Australia just 1 km and in other states 3 km per hour over the posted limit will earn a fine. That's a slow walking pace! You're expected to believe that a leisurely stroll above this arbitraty safe limit will make you a menace to road safety. This is a foolish approach to road safety that will make more enemies than friends for state governments. Meanwhile - young unskilled "P" plate drivers rule the roads unmolested.
Opposition Says Speed Camera Costs Too High
Last Update: Tuesday, July 5, 2005. 9:28am (AEST)
The Western Australian Opposition says WA police will be forced to take officers off the streets to pay the operating costs of extra speed cameras.
Acting police spokesman Murray Cowper says the Governments decision to allocate five extra Multanova cameras to regional WA will cost police more than $200,000 annually.
The operating costs will be met by the Road Trauma Trust Fund for the first three years, with police to meet all costs after that.
Mr. Cowper says the Government should commit more funding to road patrols rather than speed cameras.
"Which do you think is more effective, a speed camera or a highly visual police officer out on the road in a patrol car?" he said.
"Well, my answer to that is certainly the latter because speed cameras, while they are a valuable tool in the policeman's kit, they're not the vanguard of road traffic management and road safety in Western Australia."
The ABC has approached the Police Minister for comment.
State Parliament Question Time
Don't Ask - We Won't Tell
House: Legislative Council- QUESTIONS ON NOTICE
Date: Thursday, 30 June 2005
Member: HALLIGAN; FORD
Subject: MULTANOVAS, NUMBER AND REVENUE
Page: 3742c - 3743a / 1
I read with interest a question raised in the Western Australian State Parliament by Hon. Ray Halligan which was answered by THE OFFICE OF ROAD SAFETY. It was a simple question inquiring about the amount of money raised from Multanova speed cameras from 1999 to 2005 in this state.
The answer from the Office of Road Safety was absolutely unacceptable.
"The Office of Road Safety has advised the revenue received solely from Multanova speed camera operations is not recorded."
A previous question asked in state parliament in 2002 along similar lines
"The Police Service is not responsible for revenue collection that is associated with traffic infringement (Multanova speed camera) notices."
Sounds like a game of "pass the parcel."
So what statistics do the Office of Road Safety take an interest in? I guess the simple answer is "Nothing that will give you ammunition to use against us!"
Perhaps the Office of Road Safety should be taking more interest in statistics. I think most Western Australians would be very interested in the amount of money raised from Multanova speed cameras. Perhaps a cost verses benefit analysis in terms of money raised verses road toll reduction would be a good start.
I guess $40,000,000.00 per year in speed camera revenue and an increase of 15 - 20 road deaths per year wouldn't look too good on paper?
The West Australian Newspaper 7th April 2004
Well the Police Department in Western Australia has finally decided to copy our helpful idea and put the speed camera list for the Perth metropolitan area on the internet. Better late than never I suppose.
But can we trust the police to give out an accurate list?
The Minister for Police Michelle Roberts in a letter assured us that the speed camera list was accurate in spite of our statistics that proved their were 76 unlisted locations in a three week period in January 2004.
After our complaint to the Minister for Police, the official list of camera sites jumped to an all time high of 39 - 43 sites per day. But strangely a week after our free email service stopped, the police speed camera list suddenly dropped to an average of 35 sites per day.
Are the police back to their old tricks of giving out an incomplete list of speed camera locations? Do they think that the public of Western Australia will not notice if the list is inaccurate?
Once again we are taking statistics. If you notice a speed camera that isn't on the official list, please send us an email with the time, date and location.
Are Hidden Speed Cameras - Next for WA?
The following advice from the Monash University Accident Research Centre, the architect of most of WA's road toll strategy, is contained in an Office of Road Safety document.
"Speed is one of the four big killers on Western Australian roads.
"Despite the fact that the use of speed cameras has increased, there are more cars passing them, the number of infringements has trebled in the last five years, there is still the perception that speed doesn't increase the risk of crashing, and that drivers won't be caught.
"The Monash University Accident Research Centre report suggests that the lack of reduction in speeding behaviour and the lack of change in attitudes to speeding suggests that implementation of enforcement and public education in this area needs to be more strategic.
"It is suggested that Western Australia adds a covert component to speed camera operations which may increase their effectiveness in slowing general travel speeds.
"Changes to a more covert approach to speed camera operations could include use of a greater variety of vehicles, unobtrusive sighting of the flash unit and increased variation in timing and location of cameras.
"It's hard to estimate precisely how many lives and serious injuries would be saved by maximum commitment to reducing speed, but conservatively, it is suggested that reductions of up to 17 per cent in fatalities overall could be expected, and up to 30 per cent fewer fatalities in built up areas could be expected.
The report also notes that, in the future, the potential of speed limiters and the use of other modern technology which would save even more lives and serious injuries."
$20,000-a-day Tunnel
Author: Ben Harvey
Date: 07/02/2003
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Publication: The West Australian
PERMANENT speed cameras in the Northbridge tunnel are expected to raise about $20,000 a day by targeting motorists on one of the safest roads in the city.
About 75 million cars have travelled through the tunnel since it opened in early 2000. In that time there have been just two crashes where people were taken to hospital, according to Main Roads WA.
Despite this safety record the State Government has given the green light to installing fixed cameras in the tunnel by December.
The Opposition says the move is blatant revenue raising.
Former transport minister Murray Criddle said the 1.5km tunnel would be used as a cash cow.
The previous government decided against cameras in the tunnel because of a correct prediction that it would not be a danger zone, he said.
Main Roads WA figures show 75,000 cars travel through the Northbridge tunnel every day.
That is 5000 fewer than use the Sydney Harbour tunnel, where fixed speed cameras generated an estimated $20,000 a day from catching 28,985 speeders in the first six months of 2001.
WA police believe it is likely that Northbridge tunnel users would be fined at a rate similar to tunnel users in Sydney.
A Multanova camera set up at the eastbound entrance to the tunnel between 6.45am and 9am on Tuesday checked 5496 cars, of which 305 were speeding.
Police said most speeders were clocked between 11kmh and 19kmh over the 80kmh limit, incurring fines of $100. The cameras raised more than $30,500 in two hours and 15 minutes.
If tunnel users were caught by fixed cameras at that rate, fines worth more than $400,000 would be issued each day.
But a Main Roads WA survey last May and June suggests the cameras could be even more expensive for road users. That survey found 40 per cent of cars were speeding.
About 15 per cent of eastbound traffic was travelling at more than 86kmh. About 15 per cent of west-bound traffic was doing 83kmh or above.
Assuming the 11,250 drivers guilty of speeding by more than 3kmh received the minimum $50 fine, $562,500 would be raised each day.
But NSW Roads and Traffic Authority spokesman Ken Boys said Sydney Harbour tunnel users slowed down within one week of cameras being installed in 1997.
A spokesman for Police Minister Michelle Roberts said the plan for fixed cameras was based on a police recommendation.
Police Assistant Commissioner (traffic) John Standing refused to comment.
Last month, Mrs. Roberts said cameras were needed because cars had been clocked at "dastardly" speeds up to 170kmh in the tunnel.
Fixed speed cameras in tunnels were not new and operated in Melbourne and Sydney.
Speed Camera Statistics Western Australia
| Year |
Total Vehicles |
Vehicle Over Speed Limit |
% Vehicles Over Speed Limit |
| 1992 |
1,920,709 |
1,191,172 |
62.20 % |
| 1993 |
2,076,988 |
1,078,446 |
51.92 % |
| 1994 |
3,053,698 |
1,248,619 |
40.89 % |
| 1995 |
6,279,314 |
2,141,972 |
34.11 % |
| 1996 |
9,183,396 |
2,551,785 |
30.69 % |
| 1997 |
11,221,126 |
2,877,921 |
25.65 % |
| 1998 |
14,977,344 |
3,291,089 |
21.97 % |
| 1999 |
19,427,074 |
4,047,873 |
20.84 % |
| 2000 |
19,059,566 |
3,668,755 |
19.25 % |
| 2001 |
18,826,160 |
3,843,552 |
20.42 % |
| 2002 |
19,489,762 |
3,221,010 |
16.53 % |
| 2003 |
20,435,584 |
3,265,324 |
15.98 % |
(Source: Western Australia Police Service)
Yes a 46% reduction in speeding - Was there a corresponding reduction in the road deaths in this state of Australia? Absolutely not! So speed is the major cause of deaths on our roads? Think again!
There are other forces at work here, the statistics prove it!
Speed cameras make millions of dollars for state governments all over the world. Like poker machines "the more you have, the more money you make" A great example of speed camera madness is Victoria , Australia's speed camera state.
Electronic innovations like "the third umpire" for cricket and "Cyclops" for tennis are great technological tools for sport, but why the stampede to introduce more and more speed cameras?
In Western Australia the answer was simple. Speed cameras allowed the Western Australian Government to disband the entire "Police Traffic Branch" and combine the role with general duties police work. You see one speed camera can book more drivers in one hour than 100 police officers. Wow! What a saving on wages, police traffic cars, motor bikes and petrol. The trouble is this type of thinking is simplistic and short sighted, not to mention down-right stupid and ineffective.
Needless to say, a police patrol car on the roads & highways is a very rare occurrence in Western Australia these days, and the "burnout cowboys" know it!
In Western Australia, the state government has totally "lost the plot". The Police Department allow only 1km per hour over the speed limit before issuing an infringement. Straight out of the box, speed cameras have a built in error margin. It's even listed in the speed camera specifications. Vehicle speedometers are not even manufactured to this fine a tolerance.
New South Wales police seem to have the right idea. Their system works by the 75th percentile rule. This allows about 10km/h grace or more before an infringement is issued.
Put the "speed camera dogma" to the test yourself. You will find amazing contradictions in statistics and propaganda.
See for your self...
