Speed Cameras
January 21st, 2006 at 07:30pm
The ACT Government has announced an additional 22 mobile speed camera locations. Whilst I’m glad they are monitoring more areas, I don’t approve of the publication of camera locations.
The ACT government have this strange theory that publicising speed camera locations will slow people down, ultimately though, all it does is give motorists a chance to slow down near a speed camera and speed up again once they pass it.
This thread on Canberra Cruises proves this theory, as it clearly shows that people there might slow down around the cameras, but they won’t slow down elsewhere. So what to do?
Well I was chatting with 2CC’s Mike Frame today just after he interviewed an ACT government spokeperson about the new cameras, during this interview Mike seemed to agree with the idea of notifying motorists of speed cameras. I said to Mike that I think we should do away with the conspicuous white vans for speed cameras, and should just have random vehicles in random locations with the speed cameras. This would have much more effect on motorists’ speeds as they would need to avoid speeding altogether in order to avoid fines, demerit points and other punishments. By the end of the conversation Mike seemed to agree that I had a good point.
I really think that the idea of speed cameras being pure revenue raisers is nonsense…if people obeyed the road rules there would be no revenue from speed cameras.
Another thing which I think would help make the roads safer is a licence fee system based on the number of demerit points the licence holder has attracted (I use the word “attratced” because I can’t work out whether one gains or loses demerit points). For example, 0 points = free licence, 1 point = $100 licence, 2 points = $200, 3 points = $400, 4 points = $800, 5 points = $1600, etc.
Of course, an increased covert and marked police presence would help. Covert speed cameras would help keep speed down, whilst covert police cars would help keep other road rules in an unbroken state as you would never know when the police might catch you. Marked police vehicles and foot/bicycle patrols would help keep general law and order in check. It’s pretty simple, but I suppose it just requires funding…
Samuel
Entry Filed under: Bizarreness,Canberra Stories,Samuel's Editorials
4 Comments
1. bacco007 | January 21st, 2006 at 7:56 pm
Is it the mobile ones or all speed cameras that you dont agree to disclosing the location of?
The fixed cameras locations are going to get out in any case (at least here in NSW) – the cameras are flanked by several large road sides telling people to slow down.
Looks like the ACT have a different setup in terms of mobile units where they stay in a location for long periods of time (ie weeks).
In any case, all cameras do is make people become less attentive to what is on the road and pay more attention to the speedo and what speed they are doing. How there arent a large number of accidents around the speed cameras is beyond me.
2. Samuel | January 21st, 2006 at 8:39 pm
The mobile ones, fixed ones are pretty obvious anyway (although I wonder why we need huge signs saying “speed and red light cameras ahead”. I would have thought that the whole point of a mobile speed camera is that it can be moved anywhere, not just a few sections of road.
I remember hearing something about GPS based speed limited cars being trialled somewhere in the world about a year ago, apparently it was possible for the driver to override the speed limiter in an emergency, but that notified authorities who would investigate the reason. The GPS based speed limits could be updated for roadworks and other speed limit changes at any time by the relevant authorities.
3. thatsallfolks | January 22nd, 2006 at 11:48 am
It’s quite obvious that you are not a driver as many of the locations of speed cameras are places where speed has played little or no part in motor accidents.
On the Princes Fwy between Geelong and Melbourne speed cameras have recently been installed in a three different locations. These cameras are prominent and very obvious to anybody who travels the fwy regularly but it cannot be denied that they have been implemented simply as revenue raisers.
The accidents that have occured on that road in the last few years have not been due to excessive speed, thus speed cameras do not improve the safety of the road.
In a 100 km/h zone it is very easy for a car to drift over the speed limit by a few kilometres without the driver realising, and plenty of car speedometers are not quite accurate.
Victoria Police is going to profit greatly from these motorists yet the road is not going to be any safer for drivers and fatal accidents will still occur.
4. Tony | February 11th, 2006 at 7:52 pm
I don’t mind speed cameras, at least it’s a law abiding way the police can make money.
I’d rather have the police rich and speeding potential killers poor.
It doesn’t matter what speed you are doing there is always someone going faster these days.
wreckless world it is.