NSW Speed Camera

[Derek-C]

Our tax $ at work

Black spot I dont think so.

Taken with my mobile phone on Sunday.

Speed Camera.jpg

Derek

[OzzieTraveller]

G'day Derek

We've had these mobile "safety" cameras in the ACT now for the past 5-6 years
The revenue raised by them now has their own line in the budget ... last I saw was $14m for 2008/9

And as always, there is two sides to the story
1- I don't get thrilled by them or their placement ... often at the bottom of a hill etc
2- Often tho, I see some silly bugga hurtling along at the speed limit +25% ... ie definately speeding, and I say to myself "go on mate - get yourself booked - you deserve it"
3- what I find hard is when
a) they're parked in obviously 'safe' stretches of road (why??), and
b) when I hear of drivers being booked for exceeding the speed limit by "a few km/h" - (less than 10% of the posted speed limits anyway)

Over the years, I have witnessed too many occasions where, via oncoming drivers are flashing their lights, that "speeders" slow down for 1/2 minute or so, go thru the camera, then speed up again afterwards. I would much prefer to have mobile coppers &/or cameras which get these drivers actually in the act, rather than the fixed-position cameras that people slow down for 'coz they know all about them

Regards, Phil

[dbax]

interesting, contrary to the newspapers, current affairs shows and emails doing the rounds, which all stated they would be mounted on "WHITE" Ford Territories in known black spots. That don't look white to me.

[old dog]

I agree with Phil totally on this. I try hard, most of the time, to keep my speed within the limits......except sometimes when on my motorbike when I might go a "little" over the limit, out the back of nowhere... But if I do....I fully accept a fine if I get caught.

I do think it`s revenue raising....but if people didn`t speed they would cease to exist and the money could be diverted to more important things.....no need to go on about it.

[Jules]

I'm not sure what all the fuss is about when it comes to speed cameras (fixed or not). If you don't speed, you've got nothing to worry about.

[MarkChap]

and while we are on the subject of road safety........

You weren't driving when you took this I would hope ?

The TWO causes of road crashes - Lack of Common Sense and lack of Concentration ??

[Derek-C]

Mark,I was standing on the footpath on the other side of the road.

Definitely not a white Territory and yes ,if you don't speed you don't have a problem.

Derek

[ving]

if you speed you pay... simple.

[hus]

If this state government was really concerned about bringing the road toll down then the most effective way to do this is put more police cars on the road to remind people that they are out there. Why won’t they do that? it does not generate money for them rather cost more.
This government has run this state into the ground through mis management ( do you think Bob Carr jump ship for no reason, (as I quoted before “Nice to see the NSW government re-arrange the deck chairs on the titanic, what makes these new clowns think they going to stay afloat. We already hit the iceberg when captain Bob Carr was at the helm. Save Our Souls”)) He saw the future and didn't want to be blamed for it. Now they are resorting to money making schemes in the name of saving our lives, if anyone really thinks that these revenue raisers are going to save people than you better keep an eye open so as not to smash into those flying pigs.
There are other countries with much higher speed limits with less deaths, why ???? because their government doesn’t waste money on high tech money makers, instead makes better roads and educates their drivers better.
Oh what qualifies me to comment l hear you ask? Well I hold a professional licence which involved driving buses, trucks and I also ride a motorbike so l have seen my fair share of roads.


p.s. Yes I can admit l don’t like this state government at all, now I’ll get off my soap box.

[campo]

I'm in the ACT and one thing that annoys the you know what out of me is seeing a van sitting at the bottom of a big hill, on a four lane road with speed limit 80kph...some of the roads here are better then the hume freeway but have a limit 30kph less! I've started dropping my car back into 4th gear on the usual suspect hills for speed cameras at the bottom rather then riding my brakes to try and stay at 80.

They're also talking about bringing in point to point cameras here too, which will eliminate the annoying speeders slamming their brakes on just before a camera and then speeding up again. I personally look forward to this because it'll slow people down over larger distances, and i'll be able to sit on the speed limit my whole trip rather then slowing down to 20 below the limit when someone hits the anchors!

[campo]

hear hear to hus - driver education and visible presence is the key to safer roads! speed cameras don't catch every infringement!

having just been to the snow and back to shoot a wedding, I noticed that there were hardly any cars speeding...why? because the cops are all over the road to the snow at the moment! more visibility = less deaths!

[Scotty72]

Speeding fines are a voluntary tax on the impatient / unobservant / hoon elements of society.

Don't speed = don't pay.

My favourite of the common, tired excuses...
'Not fair: the radar / camera was at the bottom of the hill and I was only a few Ks over.'

• Do I occassionally 'drift over' decending a hill? Sure, no doubt but, if I am that unobservant, a good fine will remind me to keep my concentration. BTW, I have had a few reminders in my time - I don't complain because it was MY FAULT!
• What if there were a kid chasing ball onto the street at the bottom of that hill? Are you going to tell the parents, 'Mate, I only killed your kid by a few K's over; forget about it?'
• The posted speed limit is a maximum. Aim for 5km/h under and even if you do drift up 5 km/h, no problem. If you constantly pick up more the 5km/h and don't notice, why do you have a licence?

When people say why are the cops on 'safe' stretches of road? Do they suggest the cops should not go there, that these areas should be free zones for lead foots?

When people complain that the cops are 'always at the bottom of that hill." If they are always there, how dumb are you if you get caught? Same (in NSW) before fixed cameras with 3 HUGE signs telling you the camera is right there - yet idiots still get caught!


My favourite dumb defence against camera is

"if I constantly have to take my eyes of the road to look at my speedo, that is soooo dangerous"

Really, I am imagining an army of drivers with eyes transfixed on the road ahead, never blinking, never looking in their mirrors, never averting their eyes for any reason - eyes glued painfully to the front windscreen.

These people shouldn't be on the road.

Scotty

[kiwi]

they are actually not allowed to put their vans on an decline/incline over a certain slope.

[Warus]

Speedo's have a tolerance of up to 10%. At 60km/hr you could possibly be doing 66 and these cameras are designed to snap you at 64. I'm glad my speedo shows more than I'm actually doing.

On a side note there is a point to point camera installed between Lithgow and Bathurst now. It measures your speed over a distance of around 30km making even passing someone a thoughtful experience as you stare at the speedo just in case.

[Scotty72]

Speedo's have a tolerance of up to 10%. At 60km/hr you could possibly be doing 66 and these cameras are designed to snap you at 64. I'm glad my speedo shows more than I'm actually doing.

Since the advent of GPS, I've drive 6 cars (owned, borrowed, rented). The GPS gives a very accurate speed. Every car had the speedo showing the car going faster than it actually was. So, to be doing 66km/h, you would prablably have to have the speedo showing 70 km/h plus.

These days, it is dead simple to use a GPS (even if only borrowing) to check the accuracy of your speedo and adjust your driving accordingly.

Scotty

[Xenedis]

I spotted one in a very similar colour to this when coming back up the freeway from Wollongong on Sunday.

A few of my opinions on the issue of speeding.

Firstly, if the government was serious about road safety, it would target real issues, such as inattentiveness, tailgating, failing to indicate, driving under the influence and driving while fatigued. It would also implement better education for motorists. A hill-start, reverse-park and 20-minute cruise around quite suburban streets does not constitute anything resembling safe or comprehensive driving.

I've said for years that if the use of speed cameras is not about revenue raising, then the government should abolish the fines and double the demerit points. Not so long ago the government reduced the demerit points and kept the fines.

It is important to understand that exceeding a speed limit does not equate to dangerous driving. You can be driving at the posted limit, but still be driving dangerously. The conditions (ie, weather, visibility, amount and spread of traffic on the road, the road quality and other things in the area, not to mention the driver's experience) dictate what's a safe speed.

This is not to say that some people don't drive at excessive speeds, but in my experience, having been hit three times by other motorists, inattentiveness was the cause, not excessive speed.

Also in my experience, the type of person like the complete idiot who this afternoon was stuck in the queue in a clogged-up right turning lane, and who decided to pull out right in front of me, is far more of a danger than that guy who drives 10km/h over the posted speed limit.

[hus]

Don't speed = don't pay.

Not always the case, just ask residents of a southern sydney suburb when the speed camera just kept nabbing drivers like there was no tomorrow, but the RTA weren't happy when they had to give back the money because the clowns hadn't calibrated the time on the camera and booked everyone in the school zone who weren't even speeding.

why are the cops on 'safe' stretches of road? Do they suggest the cops should not go there......... they shouldn't be in their cars sitting, how about catching real criminals like drug dealers or isn't the financial returns just isn't worth it?

[Xenedis]

Not always the case, just ask residents of a southern sydney suburb when the speed camera just kept nabbing drivers like there was no tomorrow

Sounds like the pair of cameras on the Princes Hwy in Kogarah.

Those strike fear into many.

I've been driving along there at 6pm or so, and people still slow down to 40km/h because of the school zone, which is well and truly out of operation by then.

Do they suggest the cops should not go there......... they shouldn't be in their cars sitting, how about catching real criminals like drug dealers or isn't the financial returns just isn't worth it?

I'm not sure how the police would enforce rules about tailgating, not indicating, etc.

[hus]

I'm not sure how the police would enforce rules about tailgating, not indicating, etc.

We come back to square one again, driver education would solve a lot of problems on the road. When drivers are aware of other people on the road then tailgating will stop, indicating to change lanes because you would know there is someone else around you and also bothering to look over your shoulder when changing lanes.
Peoples attitude of "I am doing the speed limit so I don't have to move away from the right lane has to change".

Driver education works at solving the problem, drive around europe and you'll see this.
Speed cameras only punish the problem after it has happened and serve no value in educating and solving the problem.
It's also a nice earner for our state government in the name of saving lives.

[yarnella]

Derek,
That's not a black spot. That's a white spot - so the Territory is black.

Well, that's my logic and I'm sticking with it.