Comments on: Police agree speed cameras are for revenue raising

By: Jay Gribbin

Jay Gribbin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:40:23 +0000

A couple of points,If speed cameras reduced speeding the revenue would be going down not up.I tried to find statistics on actual crash numbers since the cameras came in and couldn’t find any.My feeling is that they won’t have gone down any, in fact they probably have gone up with people watching the speedo instead of where they are going.Only the “Road Toll” figures are ever reported and yes it has reduced which can only be a good thing but along with speed cameras it has coinsided with the greatest advances in primary vehicle safety in the history of the car.If everyone speeds then the problem is the speed limit.I wonder how may of the crashes,both fatal and not, on the nations highways are people who fell asleep with boredom.Go for a drive on the racetrack and see how alert you become at speed.Teach people to drive and not how to get a license and we will see some real improvements on our roads.

By: driving school

driving school — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:20:17 +0000

Well, this comes as no surprise to anyone i bet! Regards, Jon driving school driving school

By: unreal ur

unreal ur — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:57:26 +0000

If 90% of the cops think that. then why da hell do they sneek around hide in the bush in plain cars ?????

oh and park the wrong way on hwys with radar guns. they break the law to make a law. im sure if i parked there i would be booked

By: bloke

bloke — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 05:02:52 +0000

I work in the industry and i cant believe the police, advocates for road safety, would say such a thing. They are clearly overworked and angry about it. People use the word ‘revenue raising’ in the same context as an insult. Revenue raising is a voluntary tax, dont speed , dont pay it, stop wingeing about it. we live in a highly taxed nation because we have massive infrastructure, freedom and land to service. We need it as economic stimulus in the current crisis anyway. so stop wingeing everyone.
Ofcourse speed is a contributer to accidents, ofcourse decent adult citizens are children behind the wheel. Once people get in their car they think they can get away with murder. No matter how good a driver you are, you cannot stop unpredictable circumstances, you cant stop a child from running onto the road, you cant stop a car pulling out in front of you. get the picture

By: Insider

Insider — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 10:15:54 +0000

As a previous poster mentioned, there will be yet another way for the government to raise revenue from motorists.
The government is currently looking at ways of introducing into new vehicles, AVL (Automatic Vehicle Location). This system will use satellite navigation to determine the amount of ‘road tax’ a driver will pay to use the roads. This by the way, is over and above the vehicle registration we currently pay. It will be put forward as a ‘user pays’ system. It will not only track your vehicle usage, but will register your speed and automatically issue a tax or ‘fine’ for each kilometer you exceed over any given speed limit. The speed limits will vary according to time of day and number of vehicles in a given area at that time. Demerit points will be accumulated according to a scale which will take into account the number of hours you drive and the ‘fees’ you are liable for. The government will tell the driving public that this will reduce registration costs and that heavy users will pay more than the lighter users. Most people will not notice that they will still actually end up paying considerably more road taxes than they currently pay now. This system is scheduled to be in place by about 2012. The timing will obviously be subject to change depending on fuel pricing and excessive government fuel taxes which are set to rise dramatically within the next 6 to 8 weeks.

By: Insider

Insider — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 09:56:14 +0000

The facts. Speed cameras are revenue raisers. They DO NOT save lives. If anyone states that cameras have reduced the road toll, they are telling an untruth. There is NO proof to support those statements. Cameras are placed in areas that are known to be crash free and that present no hazards to the motoring public. Excessive speed is a contributing factor in less than 3% of all motor vehicle crashes, while ‘P’ plate drivers account for less than 6% of ALL crashes in Australia. The over 55’s are the greatest contributors to fatalities on the roads.
Join me on the roads for a week and you’ll discover that the government is fudging figures in order to justify their actions.
Just between us, ALL police officers who operate speed cameras are on double-time overtime and they usually ‘make’ their pay within the first 2 hours. If anyone tries to tell you otherwise, you can call them a liar.
And yes, quotas are still a fact of life in the service.

By: nick

nick — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 05:41:04 +0000

As stupid as the two centiments above seem on face value, i have to agree. The other day i was sitting in the car at the lights when a cop drives past on the mobile phone. His partner was on the radio, so no, there is no way that it was the radio.

Where’s the reciprocity. I’m sorry but i have no respect for police in Sydney. Most of my interactions with them have highlighted they’re lazyness and contempt for the law they are ment to enforce.

By: Anna Rosweld

Anna Rosweld — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 04:45:45 +0000

Your right! If cops can speed then we can too!

By: James Herman

James Herman — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 04:31:02 +0000

Cops speed for no damn reason that makes them just as much as a criminal as speeders! If cops can speed then we can also!

By: b4idie

b4idie — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 08:04:30 +0000

I think some people should grow up and be responsible for their actions.
If one is stupid enough to speed and take the risk of having an accident, causing injury, financial hardship or even death one would imagine that a fine would be a deterrent not to run the risk of causing any of the above. Hence people need to be aware that SPEEDING, Driving under the influence of ALCOHOL, DRUGS or just by ignoring the road rules, could result in causing unnecessary hardship for innocent parties.
We all pay third party with our rego, and that third party component goes towards paying for road injuries and even death.
Rules are made for everyone so everything runs smoothly.
If one chooses to break the road rules then one is making a choice knowing full well there are fines. The bottom line is that ONE MUST BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ONES ACTIONS KNOWING FULL WELL THAT THESE FINES ARE PART OF ANY ACTION TAKEN AGAINST IRRESPONSIBLE DRIVERS.
Even if these so-call revenue raising cameras can slow one person down, than maybe someone that I or the next door neighbor loves will not be an innocent party to someone irresponsible actions

By: Jake

Jake — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 07:53:01 +0000

In reply to adams post
“Its not safe to speed on public roads, anyone who does risks the lives of other motorists and their own. If you speed you deserve to be fined. If you all really want to stick it to the government, dont speed and they wont raise any revenue from the cameras”
This is something I disagree with, speeds that are set aren’t always correct either. For example I live on an unmarked, well lit wide road that is perfectly straight and every one that drives on it sits at about
60km/h to 80km/h instead of the marked 50km/h and and no one complains because 50km/h is too slow for this road. Even the occasional patrol car’s are doing around 70km/h+.
IMO speed limits are too generalised, 50km/h in built up area’s is sometimes to fast and sometimes too slow depending on conditions so speed limits should be dependant on road conditions. The same as open roads which are 110km/h which again sometimes too fast and sometimes too slow, on a long straight road the speed often needs to be a lot faster and it is just as safe as 110km/h. If Kangaroo for example a kangaroo came flying out onto the road, it wouldn’t matter if you were traveling at 110km/h or 140km/h you wouldn’t be able to stop or safley swerve either way.
Any one wnating to discuss this jakewaze@mgmail.com

By: Adam

Adam — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:24:58 +0000

Its not safe to speed on public roads, anyone who does risks the lives of other motorists and their own. If you speed you deserve to be fined. If you all really want to stick it to the government, dont speed and they wont raise any revenue from the cameras.

By: danny

danny — Fri, 16 May 2008 22:37:21 +0000

Interesting reading about speed cameras and raising revenue.
Do you really believe the Pollies, Police and RTA care what you think. I doubt it.
Well, get ready for the next new way to raise revenue by satellite. It is on trial now and could be in operation by the end of the year.
they must watch a lot of James Bond movies and get their ideas from 007.
Bring back the Horse and Cart
danny

By: Alec Smart

Alec Smart — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:52:00 +0000

Its just another way for the cows(us tax payers)to get milked for money.

By: Gal Zisin

Gal Zisin — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 01:58:47 +0000

speeding camera are in some ways more or equal danger in using mobile phone while driving,, surprise???
drivers are so scared to get booked, so instead of looking on the road and concentrating on safety their eyes are more often checking the speed they are traveling instead of the road. we all know how often the speed limit can vary in a short period of travel

In looking many micro seconds on the speedometer, one could not defiantly be so safe, as the spokeswoman for the force noted that there has been a 50 per cent drop in the road toll since the inception of cameras in 1989.
Does anyone ever check what is the percentage from the 50 percent left from the drop of accidents which are to blame the speeding camera.
Is anything wrong to give the Victorian some tolerance speed allowance like any other states. Speed camera margins set at 0 in Victoria, dropping to 5km above the limit in SA and around 10-15 km in NSW. Those allowances give drivers in those states the opportunity to drive safer and keep more money in their pocket.

By: swampdawg

swampdawg — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 15:09:50 +0000

Greed Cameras more like it.
There is something we CAN all do about them, however laid back Aussies mostly just cop it and very few make a stand about such ridiculous money grabbing devices that apparently save us all from danger.
Are all of these Greed Cameras situated in ‘Black Spots’/ dangerous Zones, No! so the answer is obvious.
Unmarked highway patrol cars keeping us guessing would work far better, but they don’t pump the general public for volume greed camera profits.
Our goverment departments are mostly run by idiots and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better.

By: Allan

Allan — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 14:06:50 +0000

There is no doubt that speed cameras CAN save lives. They have played a part in the ongoing reduction in the national road toll.

The MAJOR problem with them is that incompetent politicians fail to use the revenue appropriately. If the fools spent the $150 odd million dollars on improving roads, public transport, Traffic Law Enforcement, etc. their would be a marked improvement in the attitudes shown to these cameras. They are a necessary evil as long as VicPol is managed by an incompetent Chief Commissioner who fails to effectively manage and support discretion and overseen by a Government that has no idea about discretion and dealing with the community.

AND if everyone that got a fine for going, say less than 10 or 15 km/h over the limit, elected to have the matter dealt with at Court it would force the Police Force to re-evaluate their discretionary limits as the court system simply couldn’t handle the thousands of extra matters.

By: Hmm...

Hmm... — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 03:36:06 +0000

Yeah, first speeding fine in 5 years – was definately below 15km above the limit – will look into this once i get the fine in the mail,

Cheers

By: Inthejob

Inthejob — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 01:24:07 +0000

In response to Peter Cunningham’s post, I have to say that I disagree with some of it. It’s not a matter of voting anymore, because they are in and there is nothing that we can do about it. You would NEVER get a politician campaigning to take speed camera’s away, because the state government actually BUDGETS the revenue gained from them.

Smoking and alcohol related diseases are among the biggest killers in society today, yet again you will never get a politician campaigning to get rid of smokes or alcohol because the government relies on the taxes from both. How many people have lost their houses due to pokies? Another cash cow that they won’t ever get rid of.

On one hand you have sectors of our government telling us how horrible speeding is, yet the parties responsible for speed cameras are rubbing their hands together every time the flash goes off.

I found it interesting that a few months ago when a ‘P’ plater with a car full of passengers was killed near the West Gate freeway while drag racing. Witnesses said that they saw the cars deliberately slow down to go through the fixed speed cameras before continuing their drag race and then crashing.

The fact is, speed cameras just don’t work. I’ve been to numerous collisions on night shift where speed was a contributing factor, but speed cameras (other than fixed cameras where most locals know of their location and slow down in that particular area) don’t operate at 2am when the ‘P’ plater decides to see how quick he can go around that tight right hander..

The thing that really pisses me off about speed cameras is that they are often placed in areas that can make your driving more dangerous. The main road into Bendigo has something like 15 or so speed zone changes in a stretch of road that’s a couple of kays long. this is very distracting and dangerous as you have to constantly vary your speed and take your eyes off the road to check your speed as it varies between 60 and 50 km zones..

In response to “Hmmm” – if this is the first time you’ve been flashed in a few years (about 3), and your speed didn’t exceed 15 km/ph over the limit, you can apply in writing for a caution, explaining that you are a good and safe driver and that you admit that you were speeding and that it was a one off etc..

By: Hmm...

Hmm... — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:04:53 +0000

I just got done tonight by a speed camera on pascoe vale road – it was 10pm on an old 4WD… the road is dead 10pm, like the use of a speed camera is going to help save lives there.. and its my first speeding fine too, so annoyed!