Speed cameras torched across Sydney
August 12, 2009 by George Skentzos
It appears as though a few disgruntled motorists are serving their own kind of vigilanty justice in North Sydney by torching yet another speed camera earlier today.
The city-bound fixed speed camera halfway up Spit Hill was deliberately set alight at around 2am this morning, wiping out one of the city’s most notorious revenue-raising cameras.
Police attended the scene, taking photos and collecting evidence although with NSW officers still adopting a ‘fine-free’ stance in response to union action, it is unlikely that finding the culprits will be a high priority.
The controversial Spit Rd camera was ranked among the top 10 highest revenue raisers for the state in 2006-07, earning more than $1 million that year.
Since the start of June, two speed cameras outside Narrabeen North Public School and Narrabeen Sports High were set alight, along with the north-bound camera on Pittwater Rd outside Narrabeen Lakes Public School in July.
The most recent attack prior to today’s Spit Hill blaze was on a fixed camera on Warringah Rd at Forestville which was set on fire a fortnight ago.
It has been estimated the damage bill for each of the four previous attacks would run between $15,000-$35,000 per camera.
Source: The Daily Telegraph Image: FreeNews
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GO SON!!!!!!
thats awesome, i see it all the time where i live in the UK, finally aussies are hitting back.
Speed doesnt kill, irresponsible and inappropriate speed kills, distractions at speed kill.
If speed kills then why do the de-restricted sections of autobahn in germany have such a good safety record.
what we need is driver education and ego-reduction
follow the highway code, let people in, dont cut people up and go at a speed that matches your ability, the car and the road conditions.
to put it bluntly, id rather have someone who knows what they’re doing going 90 in a 60 than an idiot who has no driver education doing 60 in a 1994 Excel with pink seat covers, a heart-shaped exhaust and frangipanni’s in the back window
just my two cents
So presumably without the “protection” of speed cameras there, to keep the traffic to a “safe” legal speed (rediculously LOW!), there will be major accidents from “speeding” every five minuites….I somehow think NOT!
Yes, 100% agree with Vaggeli! If I was a billionaire, I would make an offer to the people of WA, “I will pay from my own pocket 50% of the cost of building a freeway between 2 cities in WA, on the condition that there is no speed limit in the rightmost lane, except during wet weather or temporary hazards”.
I think in a huge state like WA, its better to travel at 200km/h on the highway and get there quicker than to travel at 100km/h and feel sleepy and crash before you get there!
why not just put rego up by $50 a year? It will net the same amount of money without the expence of haveing to buy the cameras and pay the opperators.
If there is a genuine safety concern put more police on the roads to nab the dangerous drivers.
*Agrees uncontrollably with Vagelli*
The idea that speed kills really pisses me off and the fact is that driver-education IS the answer. If Aussie schools had the driving program through years 10-12, just like the US, then I reckon drivers would be ALOT safer and the road toll would go down. I’m glad some hero has torched this camera as the Spit cameras really are the most ridiculous in the whole of Sydney.
It’s no wonder the city is jammed up all the time – the 50-year-old road system isn’t coping with more and more people.
Unfortunately the idiots trashed a few outside of schools which most would agree are where they are needed most.
****
HAHAHAH ROFL brilliant!!! Whoever did this should be richly rewarded and commended for his bravery. It’s rare these days for people to stand up for what’s right!! Speed cameras are the government’s way of “legally” mugging us. Surely, if someone demanded for your wallet at gunpoint, you have the right to fight back? So why is it such a serious crime to destroy a camera which is most certainly there to raise revenue and not save lives?!
If only the government would stop spending money on speed cameras and spend it in our public health care system, THAT would surely save more people’s lives and make the general population happier about paying their taxes.
those guys should come torch some Victorian cameras…
@ Riceboy
I’d actually pay them to do that and watch :P
Keep up good work guys…thumbs up.
Good use of accelerant, that is how a Greed Camera should look.
I seriously doubt that the spit hill is now going to see carnage because a theiving RTA Greed camera is down.
It is rare to see someone in Australia have the guts to do such a thing.
what’s their number? us mexicans need their service.
Finally a real patriotic Aussie doing what we do best. Stickin it to the man!!
Excellent!!!!!!! Thanx Car Advice for starting my day with a good news story!
I’m sure it felt good for the vandal but if the camera pulled down over $1 Mil, it won’t be a problem for them to replace it.
Good on them, Keep it up!!!
Love it!
damn shame. lol
The only problem is how do I nominate them for Australian of the year when we don’t know their name/s?
hell yeah i hate speed cameras too!
I hear expanding foam works wonders inside camera boxes too… LOL.
…hey i have an idea: if enough of them get ruined and speed cameras become revenue negative, maybe they will remove them all! just a thought.
There used to be a dutch web site which documented how to do this, something about a tire filled with flammable liquid?
They were called tuf tuf club. But the site doesn’t seem to be there anymore.
anyway, congratulations to the people involved. A great effort.
I simply detest paying more to the government than I have to, so I do not speed. This concept may be difficult to understand. If you can not control the speed of your vehicle, the next problem you may have is with the direction of travel, would you suggest we have padding on the side of every corner and that you may not be at fault if you crash… Learn how to drive people!
The views expressed here pretty much reflect the views of the population as a whole I think. Driver education and poor roads is the Elephant in the corner that everyone sees but no-one wants to mention. No one in politics that is.
Speed is the scapegoat.
The question is why? Well, because blaming speed raises revenue. But admitting the real reason will only lead to expenditure.
dont forget that m2 camera fella’s
Chalk up one for the good guys.
Viva la revolucion! Rip people off and they’re entitled to express an opinion in a forceful manner.
I think a more subtle approach might be a can of spray paint, mounted on a stick – spray the camera lens so it can’t take pics but doesn’t look like it’s been vandalised. Should work a treat for a week or so!
You would think so, but those cameras are monitored 24 hours like cctv, so if something blocks the lens they send someone out right away to fix it. so pain isnt a real “solution”…thats why i like the cling wrap one, looks fine through the video feed, but whenever it flashs to catch someone it blooms
Vaggeli, you’re in the UK, right? I think speed cameras there are more accessible than they are here – most of ours are on very tall poles, as Aussies have a long tradition of vandalising road furniture.
However, having said that, I have noticed that speed cameras aren’t often a target for vandalism here. I would have thought that they’d be a big target for drunk hoons out late at night, but it seems not. Maybe they’re all driving stolen cars and so don’t care about speed camera fines…… Message to you guys, don’t burn your stolen cars, use them to ram speed cameras! Only joking…
I have seen a couple speed cameras lately with big black plastic bags put over them and taped up.Seems like there are a few people out there to get them.I just wonder how thay get up that high to put it over them
I knew that paintball gun in the garage would come into great use one day!
OMG,look at the amount of “Thumbs up”
yea australia, get smart and stop being so ignorant
those who click on the “thumbs down”, we know who u are*wink*
“Message to you guys, don’t burn your stolen cars, use them to ram speed cameras!”
or burn the car under the speed camera? or instead burn the speed camera cars haha whichever =D
Sorry guys, you are all wrong – Speed not only kills, in every accident speeds above the designated speed limits for that zone, it increases the injuries hugely. Go and read some science on it !! No speed cameras are “revenue raisers” no such thing, you are all voluntary “donators” because you fail to realize that a car is a machine that replaces horses, bicycles and is not a toy to play with. If you want to race your machine, go and join a racing club! Cars have been responsible for more deaths in the world than all the world wars in history. Thats why the laws are in place to try and reduce the carnage when the inevitable crash happens – lower speeds significantly reduce injuries. While you are on about Germany and the AutoBahns, reflect what speeds they have in their populated areas – you will find that a lot of then are lower than our 50 Km/hr zones, and anyway the level of driving skills is at least 200% better than the average Aussie revhead!!
Ray, 200% is an impossible figure. And there are far too many (different)people in both countries that you really can’t compare each others driving skills level.
looks like the MAN got to car advice and Ray’s bar got deleted and all opposing comments deleted as well…..shame on you CA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Another comment that disagrees with Ray got deleted
What my deleted comment wanted to ask was why are speed cameras calibrated to fine drivers as soon as they are 2 or 3 K’s over the limit when our legislators give car manufacturers a 10% margin of error on the speedo’s in all new cars????????
Why delete this question CA??????
A couple of things:
We all know that a large number of speed cameras are there to raise revenue not improve safety – they are not placed in accident blackspots, but rather in locations where they are most likely to catch people exceeding the speed limit, halfway down a hill being a perfect example. This pisses most people off, and rightly so.
But the essence of Rays arguement is correct.
If you don’t break the law by exceeding the speed limit you have nothing to worry about.
It is an undeniable fact that excessive speed is a contributing factor in a large number of accidents particularly in urban areas – we therefore shouldn’t complain about efforts to make our city streets safer for everyone. What we should complain about is that current policies use safety as a cloak for revenue raising.
And in general driver skills in Australia are poor – it seems half the population still don’t understand how a roundabout works…
Speed cameras are worse then a revenue raiser. They treat everyone as an equal, which in effect tax those who can least afford it, disproportionally more than those who can.
Who, in our community, is most likely to own an old car with a faulty speed indicator? Who are the most likely owners of 2nd hand cars with incorrectly fitted tyres, throwing out actual speed indication?
When your average Australian gets a $100 fine for doing 4kph over the signed 70kph limit, they might lose some savings. It makes very little difference to their day. The only lesson they learn is “better slow down for that camera next time”.
When a struggling blue collar family member gets a $100 fine for doing the same thing, they lose half of this weeks rent and don’t have any saving to dip into. They learn their lesson harder than the white collar family, but they’re still driving an unreliable car and like everyone, can easily drift 5% over the signed limits. And what have we gained? Shame levels up. Anger levels up. Quality of life down.
Should we all be concentrating on our speedos, or the roads.
I agree with speed cameras, but not set to such stringent enforcement levels. 10% should be the absolute minimum tolerance allowance. 4kph is a cruel joke.
Nice work. Aussie vigilantism!!
A terracotta flowerpot filled with thermite should do the trick nicely. Good to see fair minded Aussies doing their bit for their fellow motorists.
ray is hilarious, and wrong,
lets take a look at some figure ok?
from 2000-2005, in the UK, 86% of all fatal crashes were on main roads and motorways,
of these, 4% were attributed purely to speed, and of that 4%, 60% were motorcyclists. Obviously speed isnt the biggest problem.
I dont completely disagree with speed cameras, but rays preposterous claims that no speed cameras are revenue raisers is complete rubbish.
If they werent revenue raisers, they wouldnt be hidden, they would be CLEARLY VISIBLE, to act as a DETERRENT.
Where I live in the UK, Coventry, the local council has a very sensible attitude to this. All speed cameras are clearly signposted, the camera and mounting pole are painted bright orange with black stripes and on the road is a yellow “Catching box” with white corrugated lines through it to show you where the camera can catch you.
They place these cameras in sensible locations, such as the inner city shared pedestrian zone, outside schools, at pedestrian crossings, etc. Places where I have no problem with slowing down as you’d be stupid not to.
I also agree that lower speed limits in built up and residential areas are a very good idea.
I dont however agree with hiding cameras in vans and painting fixed ones in such a way that they arent visible, this is BLATANT revenue raising. Yes, the vans are marked, but only on the side, which doesnt slow you down as when you’re driving towards it and get flashed you dont see a thing.
Case in point, Lets say somebody is driving past a school, speeding and gets caught by a camera that wasnt visible, 50m down the road he kills a young kid…the fact that he got as fine in the mail 2 weeks later doesnt really console the dead kids family. If however the camera had been clearly visible, maybe the moron would’ve slowed down eh?
In WA I have seen Multi Novas with camo netting over them next to a open, straight and busy highway, as you say Vaggeli, its not a deterant or a safty inititive, just a revenue trap.
These cameras are blind to most of the really unsafe crap that happens on the roads. Mobile phone chatting lane weavers, unroadworthy cars, tailgaters, and the outright stupid.
All i can say is, Bravo, Im from western Australia and I want to do this to our speed and red light cameras, i wonder if a black garbage bag would fit over the top of one, I guess ill have to find out. So if you see one over the top of the Red light camera on Ocean Reef and Eddystone avenue over this weekend, you know that I Did it.
Oh and if anyone knows Lloyed Port-Lewis, who does drift racing in WA, and has a company called Westsalon, I want words with him in the staff carpark at the Perth International Airport.
I expect to get thumbed down for this, but i hardly doubt most of our freeways are capable of supporting 200kmh speed limits, especially when you consider the slower cars that will effectively turn into mobile road blocks
having said that the fines and demerit points are getting ridiculous and fail to take into account the type of vehicle and driver at the time. I can tell you this, a Hyundai Excel doing 100kmh is in far less of a stable or controlled state than a modern Commodore doing 130
Actually tom, i completely agree, the point i personally am trying to project is that motorists should drive at a speed which is responsible for the prevailing road conditions and the vehicle. The fact is that most modern cars can safely undertake what is normally considered \”speeding\” such as 70 in a 60 zone without being a huge danger or unmanageable.
Ok, yes our highways are pretty rubbish and 200 would be optimistic, but most of europe has rubbish highways and they all have a limit of 130.
Yep i agree completely
I’m currently facing a license suspension for 33 over in a 100 zone, on a dead empty highway in the early hours of the morning. I was in a SS Commodore which i felt was of little danger to anyone at that speed, far less then a girl in her ford fiesta trying to drive and text, or do her makeup in bumper to bumper traffic anyway.
Sorry Skystar, I dont think many people will agree with your red light comment, that is rather stupid to say the least.
Anyway, as far as I am aware Tom, a human being can run at 30 ks, so going over the speed limit by 30 ks is nothing really is it, especially in the circumstances you were in.
As I have mentioned before on this site, a few years ago the outgoing top dog police chief in the UK that had been responsible for the introduction of speed cameras over there conceded that it had been a mistake as it had alienated the masses from the police force.
Personally I havn’t been done for 5 years now due to being more carefull and not speeding ( as often ).Its great not to have thrown any money away I must say, but going over the limit on occasion is not the same as being a hoon that takes things too far.
I do like the idea of burning the goddamn things though, well done to the anarchists that did this.
LRR
Cameras – Road Safety – how so:
Advice to those who are able to do so is to register your car in your company’s name and when you do receive an infringement notice pay the amount you need to pay when you don’t nominate a driver… in some states you need to attach a statutory declaration… that way the camera infringement notice becomes an expensive express surcharge and once again this fabulous system highlights the government’s first and foremost priority…..
The issue is also with the “do-goofers”, road safety advocates (eg. Harold Scruby…. better take a walk on the wild side….) that they don’t live in the real world….. our politicians are chauffeur-driven a lot of the time, and most likely don’t have to make a living as a sales rep covering 50,000kms or so…… we need more cameras monitoring their (politicians etc.) behaviour…..
No problem though with the very fair and clearly marked cameras in NSW,…. if you go through one of those you were not paying attention and deserve your fine. I think that system is acceptable as it highlights driver attention and there are ample warnings provided.
As for the policeman jumping out in front of you on a highway….. out of the bushes and stopping you on a dual-lane highway without shoulder.. just crazy… This happened to me near Launceston for exceeding the 110km/h highway limit by 7km/h.
Oh, and so glad the reformed “drink-driver” leader of the opposition in Tasmania is so outspoken about road safety…..
Furthermore, idiots will be idiots, camera or no camera…..
FRUSTRATING TOPIC
How do you define speeding anyway?Isn’t 40kph speeding compared to 30kph,20kph speeding compared to 10kph,whos to dictate that at one speed everything is fine and safe you can switch off now and just a few kms above that your a dangerous menace on the road?
I think the only person who knew about speed and motion was
Einstein and we all know there’s no one like that working in the RTA.
The RTA! Don’t make me laugh. All their “road safety experts” are highly paid to push the government’s agenda.
Logical and rational discussion on speed limits and enforcement is NOT encouraged in this country.
It’s funny. While it’s a great thing to see this happening, at the same time, now we all have to pay for it. With each camera costing up to $35K, that’s our money.
And I have to agree, if anything, the cameras near the schools shouldn’t have been torched.
The thing that’s funny is that if you’re not speeding, what have you got to worry about? Luckily we’re all given ample warning about fixed speed cameras. We all know where they are. And whether it’s accidental or not, you’re going above the recommended speed limit for that area of road.
Despite my sensible response and my hatred for having to pay with my tax money to fix these cameras. In a way, we’re all coping a fine. I still find a warm and fuzzy feeling that someone is fed up enough to show it.
SteveC
I would have thought the risk of being charged with “Incitement to commit a crime” would have been enough for Car Advice management to turn the comments off on this story.
Nobody much likes sneeky speed cameras, but to encourage vandalism of public property, as Car Advice seems to be doing here is actually a criminal offence.
Dear Comm Gordon, …that would be one weak brief of evidence, can’t find any facts that elevate any risk as you mention…. how is Car Advice Management (CAM) encouraging vandalism? It merely reported the case and, like with any other topic, has allowed the forum/ blog to continue…..
Remember, the crime in this instance has occurred in the past and is being commented upon – add that any similar crime in the future will then need to be linked (and proven) to have been “incited” here and even then…..
I agree with you in that I don’t like damage to public (or private, for that matter) property but can’t agree on the notion that CAM is encouraging this sort of behaviour.
Dear…….Mr, Sir, Commissioner Gordon stop telling lies and explain where in the story CA is inciting anything let alone a crime ???????????????????????????????????????
i bet you any money you don’t have the balls to reply!!!!!!!
Commissioner Gordon
the game is up. It may have been a state secret but over the years there have been to many leaks, we know the cameras are there for revenue not safety.
If you and your political masters are so hard up for cash just put rego up by $50 a year and come clean about the cameras. We won’t like it, but we might respect you for setting the record straight.
Cut back the petty crap, set the cameras to catch excessive speeders (15 km over the limit plus), ditch the ambush tactics on changing speed zones and hills. replace most of the cameras with Police patrols, this way you CAN do something about the dangerous cars and drivers who are mostly under the radar. Eyeball Mk 1 pisses all over a brainless machine any day (providing a functioning brain is conected, not an Eric Cartman type power junky).
People commenting on this artical are venting their frustration at what they rightly see as a legalised form of Highway Robbery. We do not morn the passing of these thiefing machines, but nor are we about to rush out and damage them ourselves, I dare to say that we are a generally responible and law abiding lot who strongly object to been tarred as criminals by a bloody (at times poorly calibrated) machine!
If you are the real deal, be a man. Go tell your masters how it really is out there and tell them to grow some balls and come clean with us.
The article does not breach any laws or media code of conduct, but many of the comments do.
Do you not find it strange that no other media outlet, including the quoted source above, did not allow comments on their articles?
This in reality has nothing to do with speeding motorists, but rather the irresponsible, wanton vandalism of public property.
CA have in the past dissallowed comments on their stories, why not on this one?
Are they encouraging this illegal ant-social behaviour?
These are the type of questions that the magistrate may well ask.
Carl, I would suggest that you might like to stay away from the ‘track – you are a terrible gambler. Please go to your nearest childrens charity and cough up on the bet!
Mr Gordon…….i know it can be hard to comprehend for a person of your limited intelligence but the bet was that you wouldn’t have the guts to respond on how CA incited violence and broke the law!!!! so I’m still waiting for that response not the dribble you just wrote…….stay relevant or go back to your RTA window!!!
Re: Commissioner Gordon
WTH are you on? you contradicted yourself in the first sentences of yr last two ravings! Doing so means that you really are way way out of yr depth.
Commissioner Gordon Says: August 16th, 2009 at 11:47 pm “Incitement to commit a crime” = ROFL. Please provide proof of the alleged offences committed.
We don’t need a self appointed backyard barrister/ Nazi party lifetime member with limited knowledge or education making wild accusations that he/ she cannot prove.
What section of the RTA are you a manager of ?
Only cowards need their voting bars removed!!!
Carl, don’t make youself look like a fool. Go find out why certain voting bars dissapear.
Read the “karma-to-the-rescue” story.
It’s just peoples opinion, and BTW opinions arent always right.
Bloke, Because I’ve got better things to do than read every story on this blog i missed the stupid story on karma to the rescue……it still doesn’t change my mind about it being for politically correct cowards, we are all anonymous, my real name is not Carl and I’m sure your real name isn’t bloke so why the need to protect the delicate flowers from negative comments???? some people in charge try to please everyone but only end up pleasing the minority of ar*se holes that constantly complain!!!!