[NSW] New speed cameras deliver a fast buck
aekOne
19 Jul 2010
DRIVERS are about to be whacked by mobile speed cameras the NSW Government believes will help deliver more than $100 million in fines this financial year alone.
Macquarie Bank, dubbed "the millionaires' factory" because of the huge salaries paid to executives, is attempting to secure a cut of the bonanza by launching a $275 million takeover bid for Redflex, the company contracted by the State Government to operate the cameras.
An initial fleet of six camera vehicles will be rolled out from July 19 at traffic black spots across NSW with plans for more next financial year.
Video: Take a look at the high-tech vehicles
They can fine six drivers every second.
FULL LIST OF CAMERA LOCATIONS CAN BE VIEWED HERE:
MOBILE SPEED CAMERA LOCATIONS
"Fine revenue is estimated to increase by $137 million during 2010-11, with a mobile speed camera program and a five per cent increase in speeding fines," the Budget says.
The NSW Government has refused to disclose how much of the $137 million increase will come from the mobile vans, but The Sunday Telegraph can reveal it could be $100 million.
The fleet of white Ford Territory vans will carry radar cameras that can catch as many as six speeding cars travelling in either direction, every second, day or night, regardless of weather conditions.
The vans also record video and have roof-mounted CCTV cameras.
An initial fleet of six camera vehicles will be rolled out in eight days, with plans for more next financial year.
The NSW Government refuses to disclose how much of the revenue will go to Redflex, which also supplies fixed speed cameras, but the Victoria-based company is now the target of a takeover bid by Macquarie Bank.
The bank and two of its wholly owned subsidiaries - Macquarie Radar Holdings and Macquarie Special Situations Master Fund - bought 10 per cent of Redflex in June.
Macquarie Bank has made billions out of privatising roads and airports in NSW. Last year, the corporate giant made more than $1 billion.
Drivers will not be warned before driving into the mobile speed camera's zone. A small sign on the vehicle reads: "Safe speed check". Another sign placed at the roadside will inform motorists: "Your speed has been checked."
The speed camera locations will be uploaded daily to the Roads and Traffic Authority website to encourage drivers to slow down.
Fines will also be waived for the first month of operation, with drivers receiving a warning letter, instead.
The Sunday Telegraph was given the first look at the new vehicles last week. Each has two bi-directional radars to measure the speed of as many as six lanes of traffic.
Inside the boot is an 11- megapixel digital camera, which will take two photographs of speeding motorists.
Alongside the digital camera is a video camera, which will record continuously to monitor the road. On the roof is the infrared flash, which is invisible to the naked eye to avoid distracting drivers caught at night.
Mobile speed cameras will be parked at each destination for three hours, before moving on to a new location.
"The mobile speed cameras will only be placed in locations with a high accident history as determined by the RTA in consultation with NSW Police," Dr Soames Job, director of the RTA's Centre for Road Safety, said.
The NSW Government has refused to specify what proportion of its $137 million increase in fines will come from the mobile cameras. Last year, about $62 million was collected by fixed speed cameras.
Based on the Budget figures and an average fine of $211, an estimated 1600 more drivers a day could be booked this financial year.
Mobile cameras have been responsible for a sharp increase in speeding fines in Victoria, where 50,000 drivers a month are caught. Angry motorists claim they are simply a revenue-raising tool.
NSW Roads Minister David Borger said he was determined to cut the road toll and the mobile cameras would help.
The NRMA wants a review of the cameras if the road toll remains unchanged.
Read more: http://www.news.com....8#ixzz0u5Xpuu00
Shiv
19 Jul 2010
Theives. Absolute thieves.
Why the Governor General hasn't sacked this NSW Labour Govt is beyond me. This, combined with those Safety Cameras is probably the most blatant money grab they've ever done.
As usual, the Sydney-metro and inner Sydney region is overrepresented with these cameras despite the fact that most of the carnage happens out of town. Parramatta Rd is littered with them from Camperdown to Burwood, according to the website. So essentially, they're stealing money from the working class whilst they commute to-and-from work, only because they have little/no option of reliable public transport.
The Pacific Highway appears on the list a lot as well. It too will also have visits from these mobile vehicles. Because obviously, a sign that says "Your speed has been checked" will prevent the road collapsing and killing a family of five on holiday (June 2007)
Utterly pathetic.
Why the Governor General hasn't sacked this NSW Labour Govt is beyond me. This, combined with those Safety Cameras is probably the most blatant money grab they've ever done.
As usual, the Sydney-metro and inner Sydney region is overrepresented with these cameras despite the fact that most of the carnage happens out of town. Parramatta Rd is littered with them from Camperdown to Burwood, according to the website. So essentially, they're stealing money from the working class whilst they commute to-and-from work, only because they have little/no option of reliable public transport.
The Pacific Highway appears on the list a lot as well. It too will also have visits from these mobile vehicles. Because obviously, a sign that says "Your speed has been checked" will prevent the road collapsing and killing a family of five on holiday (June 2007)
Utterly pathetic.
aekOne
19 Jul 2010
More:
"If mobile cameras snap you speeding, you'll get a warning first
Some speeding motorists will be let off with warnings for the next month in NSW.
The move comes as police reintroduce mobile speed cameras to more than 100 sites across the state that have a "known crash history", the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) said.
The cameras - mounted on police vehicles that are unmarked at the front and rear - are part of the state government's $170 million Road Toll Response plan.
Amid criticism that their main aim is to raise revenue, NRMA president Wendy Machin said: "Our position is that it should all be about road safety and reducing the road toll.
"These mobile cameras have been used in a couple of other states and they had a good impact there, certainly at the beginning, in reducing the road toll. So we are prepared to see how they go."
Harold Scruby of the Pedestrian Council of Australia, who has campaigned strongly for the return of mobile speed cameras, said they were not about filling NSW coffers but about safety.
"It's a voluntary tax, if people wish to speed, they can pay the revenue," Mr Scruby said.
"The cost of road trauma far exceeds the fines collected."
But he criticised the government for setting up only six cameras to cover NSW - less than one camera per million people living in the state.
"There are only six cameras in the whole of the state from Burke to Albury to Tweed Heads and seven million people in the state," said Pedestrian Council chairman Harold Scruby.
"We are hopeful that by the end of this term of government there will be more than 24 [cameras]."
The NRMA called for a review of the use of the cameras in a year's time and stressed the NSW government should not used them as a substitute for road works.
"We still believe the government has to spend money in improving the roads and where there are black spots," Ms Machin said.
"Nor should the cameras be used as a substitute for having police out there on the roads."
Mr Scruby said he was also worried the cameras' effectiveness would be undermined if radio stations broadcast their locations every day.
"This will completely undermine the whole intention of the speed cameras.
"... we are looking at legal advice in regards to this."
The cameras are expected to record up to 12,200 hours of speed enforcement each month by next year, the RTA said. They will be outsourced to a private supplier, it said.
For the first month, motorists caught speeding by the cameras will be giving a warning letter instead of a fine.
The NSW road toll went up from 374 in 2008 to 459 last year."
"If mobile cameras snap you speeding, you'll get a warning first
Some speeding motorists will be let off with warnings for the next month in NSW.
The move comes as police reintroduce mobile speed cameras to more than 100 sites across the state that have a "known crash history", the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) said.
The cameras - mounted on police vehicles that are unmarked at the front and rear - are part of the state government's $170 million Road Toll Response plan.
Amid criticism that their main aim is to raise revenue, NRMA president Wendy Machin said: "Our position is that it should all be about road safety and reducing the road toll.
"These mobile cameras have been used in a couple of other states and they had a good impact there, certainly at the beginning, in reducing the road toll. So we are prepared to see how they go."
Harold Scruby of the Pedestrian Council of Australia, who has campaigned strongly for the return of mobile speed cameras, said they were not about filling NSW coffers but about safety.
"It's a voluntary tax, if people wish to speed, they can pay the revenue," Mr Scruby said.
"The cost of road trauma far exceeds the fines collected."
But he criticised the government for setting up only six cameras to cover NSW - less than one camera per million people living in the state.
"There are only six cameras in the whole of the state from Burke to Albury to Tweed Heads and seven million people in the state," said Pedestrian Council chairman Harold Scruby.
"We are hopeful that by the end of this term of government there will be more than 24 [cameras]."
The NRMA called for a review of the use of the cameras in a year's time and stressed the NSW government should not used them as a substitute for road works.
"We still believe the government has to spend money in improving the roads and where there are black spots," Ms Machin said.
"Nor should the cameras be used as a substitute for having police out there on the roads."
Mr Scruby said he was also worried the cameras' effectiveness would be undermined if radio stations broadcast their locations every day.
"This will completely undermine the whole intention of the speed cameras.
"... we are looking at legal advice in regards to this."
The cameras are expected to record up to 12,200 hours of speed enforcement each month by next year, the RTA said. They will be outsourced to a private supplier, it said.
For the first month, motorists caught speeding by the cameras will be giving a warning letter instead of a fine.
The NSW road toll went up from 374 in 2008 to 459 last year."
Alex
20 Jul 2010
Saw one of these today on Heathcote Road.
I gave him a shocker salute, lolled, and sped on past.
RX25SE
20 Jul 2010
At least you guys can see all that cr@p sitting on the roof from a distance.
At you get a warning sign!
Down here everything is mounted on the front so it can't be seen when approaching, and they use all sorts of cars.
I've seen Isuzu utes, Toyota Rav4s, Camrys as well as the usual Falcon and Commodores.
And no warning sign.
Not to mention the fixed redlight/speed units at major intersections.
A$$holes.
alexGT
20 Jul 2010
the warning sign is AFTER you've been checked. they may be obvious but it is quite easy to hide cars, esp in peak traffic not always paying attention. this isn't a new thing years ago they had a car nearly permanently setup at heathcote in the 50 zone!
SAV84C
20 Jul 2010
The NSW road toll went up from 374 in 2008 to 459 last year.
Umm theres more cars on the road these days so its bound to go up not down...
buzzda
20 Jul 2010
At the risk of sounding like a broken record....
Fining people does nothing.
Driver training, better roads and getting shitboxes off the rd is the only way the toll will drop.
Alex
20 Jul 2010
the warning sign is AFTER you've been checked.
Dude. The sign was AFTER the CAR. Not AFTER I got my SPEED CHECKED. Saw the sign a second (at 100km/h) before the car was even visible. And the car needs line of sight to detect speed.
I'm pretty sure this is how it happened. I mean, I think I was there. And I'm pretty sure you weren't.
hth.
skillionaire
21 Jul 2010
Hi,
We have the same sign usually Alex, as Awix has described the sign is after the vehicle but often visible. They USED to always be visible, now they put the sign behind street poles and signs and things of that nature so you can't as easily see it. It's almost always at peak traffic time that I see them, so if for once the world is all turning at the same speed and everyone is doing ten over, they cop like 10 grand in two minutes.
Cheers,
Nik
aekOne
22 Jul 2010
False alarm guys. Jonesy and Amanda proved me incorrect this morning and blew the lid off the bogus email i received 
Shiv
22 Jul 2010
Does anyone here have a rifle? I need to take Car Four out 
Jokes aside - this is all so unnecessary. I feel sorry for the thousands of motorists who will inevitably get snapped doing about 5km/h over the limit as they commute to/from work. The majority of them will be decent, hard working people who pay their taxes. These mobile cameras will have stuff all effect on the road toll.
Jokes aside - this is all so unnecessary. I feel sorry for the thousands of motorists who will inevitably get snapped doing about 5km/h over the limit as they commute to/from work. The majority of them will be decent, hard working people who pay their taxes. These mobile cameras will have stuff all effect on the road toll.
skillionaire
22 Jul 2010
Hi,
Job justification is a blight on society, and has been since I can remember. Most of these fines will be waved off in the early stages (I'm lead to believe?) which is the governmental equivalent of a sales rep asking for a business card.
Cheers,
Nik
alexGT
22 Jul 2010
Dude. The sign was AFTER the CAR. Not AFTER I got my SPEED CHECKED. Saw the sign a second (at 100km/h) before the car was even visible. And the car needs line of sight to detect speed.
I'm pretty sure this is how it happened. I mean, I think I was there. And I'm pretty sure you weren't.
hth.
and i drove past the one at unanderra on saturday... i wasn't having a go. "your speed has been checked"
Evil_VZ-T
25 Jul 2010
come to ACT, we have had these mobile speed vans for years.
funny story when i was back in school, driving the old Gen1 Conversion down to get some fish and chips for lunch in a 80kph zone, i see one of these vans on the side of the road, so i slow down to 40kph, flashing my lights and indicators being a idiot. then all i see was a Very dark tinded window drop down about 15cm's and a hand come out giving my the finger 
These guys love to hide around corners and at the bottom of hills, but we have good courtesy here in ACT as most people will flash you, letting you know they are up ahead
EDIT: and another funny story back in the day of school shenanigans, Sneaked up to the mobile van at night, and stole the number plates off it.. Then put them on a mates car and proceeded to drive past at silly speeds a few times and rack up fines for them selfs:)
These guys love to hide around corners and at the bottom of hills, but we have good courtesy here in ACT as most people will flash you, letting you know they are up ahead
EDIT: and another funny story back in the day of school shenanigans, Sneaked up to the mobile van at night, and stole the number plates off it.. Then put them on a mates car and proceeded to drive past at silly speeds a few times and rack up fines for them selfs:)
