Gold Coast Speed Camera Racks up $12k an HOUR !!!

[csv8]

QUEENSLAND'S busiest speed camera is netting the State Government almost $12,000 an hour as motorists are slapped with a fine every 40 seconds.

The Courier-Mail can reveal the "rat run" on a Gold Coast street caught 90 motorists an hour last year – almost double the strike rate of the next busiest camera.

Queensland police figures showing the top 20 camera sites during 2007-08 also are set to reignite the debate over whether a proposal to advertise mobile camera locations should be implemented.

The camera in Wardoo St, Southport, was in use for only 43 hours and netted about $506,000, according to calculations based on average breaches before a 33 per cent hike in fines on January 1.

But well-known sites such as the state's most-used location, outside a KFC outlet on Kelvin Grove Rd, in Brisbane's inner north, collected only $418,000 over 670 hours.

Motorists were so aware of the virtually advertised camera it detected only four motorists an hour for $626 average revenue, a similar rate to the three fixed cameras.

Police Minister Judy Spence yesterday defended the Wardoo St jackpot, saying its selection was based on factors including crash data, complaints about speeding and police knowledge – as were all sites.

"Revenue raising is never a consideration when choosing sites," she said.

"This street is known as a 'rat run' by drivers on the Gold Coast and the large number of detections is a result of this traffic volume."

The figures show that the state's second-busiest camera, on the Pacific Motorway at Daisy Hill, caught drivers at a rate of 51 motorists an hour.

The Gateway Motorway, at Eagle Farm, notched 48 detections an hour.

RACQ spokesman Gary Fites yesterday said the Kelvin Grove Rd camera seemed "to be a pretty successful site in terms of modifying behaviour".

The State Government will commission another six fixed speed camera sites this year with initial reports suggesting two each on the Gold and Sunshine coasts, one in Toowoomba and one in Ipswich.

[flappist]

Yep the best government money can buy.

I love the KFC one, the road is about a 60 degree downhill slope and I have seen cars that were not speeding trying to stop for the traffic lights in the wet skid right through the intersection and come to a halt 50 metres on the other side.

[xquizd]

Geeze there some amazing figures!
Talk about raking it in.

I wonder how the surrounding environment is where this camera is located.
Speed limit, conditions etc?

[Keepleft]

Saw that flippy QLD gurl that runs the place on Teev the other day about this camera crap, hopeless. When is the election in QLD again?

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Keepleft

Saw that flippy QLD gurl that runs the place on Teev the other day about this camera crap, hopeless. When is the election in QLD again?

Not long now..... Resistance is futile....

[mrbaxr6t]

yea...... once a gain a speed camera is placed at the bottom of a hill they can say they aren't revenue raising all they like - this is damn robbery!

remember guys - Don't steal as the government hates competition.

[kenz]

Originally Posted by Keepleft

Saw that flippy QLD gurl that runs the place on Teev the other day about this camera crap, hopeless. When is the election in QLD again?

I dont think the election can come soon enough

[Bud Bud]

Ok two things

Originally Posted by csv8

QUEENSLAND'S busiest speed camera is netting the State Government almost $12,000 an hour as motorists are slapped with a fine every 40 seconds.

The Courier-Mail can reveal the "rat run" on a Gold Coast street caught 90 motorists an hour last year – almost double the strike rate of the next busiest camera.

"Revenue raising is never a consideration when choosing sites," she said.

"This street is known as a 'rat run' by drivers on the Gold Coast and the large number of detections is a result of this traffic volume.

If there was an infringing (dangerous) driver snapped every 40 seconds, why is there not an accident every hour or so at this location, or is there? And if there is-

Originally Posted by csv8

But well-known sites such as the state's most-used location, outside a KFC outlet on Kelvin Grove Rd, in Brisbane's inner north, collected only $418,000 over 670 hours.

Motorists were so aware of the virtually advertised camera it detected only four motorists an hour for $626 average revenue, a similar rate to the three fixed cameras.

Then this shows that that "advertised camera sites" must be working as there is very little traffic infringement happening there and in turn, making the streets safer for all, which is the sole reason these cameras are supposed to be deployed in the first place, are they not?

The Qld Gov. surley must now have a duty of care of advertising these sites because in there own research, they have found this section of road (namely the "rat run") dangerous and they already now know how to make it safer, if this was their primary objective and just not good old fashioned revenue raising. Which is it?

Note in S.A. all red light and speed cameras are advertised at intersections that deploy them. Much better imo! No use complaining if you get caught going through speeding or running a red light after you have been pre-warned before hand.

[Bushbasher]

Originally Posted by Bud Bud

Note in S.A. all red light and speed cameras are advertised at intersections that deploy them. Much better imo! No use complaining if you get caught going through speeding or running a red light after you have been pre-warned before hand.

Fixed cameras maybe but the mobile cameras and their scum operators only put a sign AFTER you have already passed them never before, at least that's been my experience in the regional and rural environs, don't know what it's like in the city. And in Pt Lincon in particular every cam car I ever saw was parked 2/3 the way down a downhill run never the up hill side, funny about that.

Bushbasher

[_CRUZ_]

you would think nowadays with gps and speed camera detection people would know where they are lmao.

[Springfield_Johny]

Not to appear to be on the side of the QLD Government & I usually only see speed cameras on busy roads (more cars=more infringements I spose) and can't help to wonder why they aren't in suburban streets, school zones etc, but, isn't part of having a licence being able to control a vehicle, which means the vehicles velocity? I've got a hill near me & all it takes is a gentle application of the brake.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by johnandjus

Not to appear to be on the side of the QLD Government & I usually only see speed cameras on busy roads (more cars=more infringements I spose) and can't help to wonder why they aren't in suburban streets, school zones etc, but, isn't part of having a licence being able to control a vehicle, which means the vehicles velocity? I've got a hill near me & all it takes is a gentle application of the brake.

To answer both parts of your question.

1) In QLD speed cameras can only be placed in "designated black spots". This is a section of road that has had a history of accidents. This is good in theory but as with all government work is always late and inappropriate.

e.g. Old Maryborough Rd near the golf course in Pialba (Hervey Bay) used to be a crappy single lane (as in no centre line) goat track with rough drop offs that merged onto the main highway on an almost blind intersection. There were several bad prangs there so it became a black spot.
It has been upgraded to a multi lane (in both directions) intersection that merges into a multi lane roundabout with traffic lights on the next intersection. This happened several years ago but there are still regular speed cameras there.

On the other hand there are many places here where there are constant near misses (and some not so near), crazy driving etc. No speed cameras are allowed. Yay for the Pete and Anna show....

2) Wandoo St in Southport is a major thoroughfare. When the traffic is flowing the best strategy is to "go with the flow". This sometimes means that the traffic is travelling above the limit.
Enter the do gooder who slows to the limit causing the cars behind to brake.
Within minutes the ripple effect causes the traffic to stop completely and there is now a complete traffic jam.

There is more to driving than keeping your eyes on a speedo and if paranoid speed monitoring worked then Victoria would show a much lower road toll than everywhere else and even though it is the smallest mainland state with the lowest distances travelled it still has makes a high showing.

[Antwon]

Theres a road near my house, its a big wide open road, no sharp turns. For the whole length of the road theres nothing but trees, bushes, and peoples back fences on both sides, but for some stupid reason the speed limit is 50? Where my street joins onto it its at the bottom of a hill, so cops always used to sit just inside my street, illegaly parked on the yellow line and catch people coming down the hill.

Everyone got fed up and even though there was room to go around, people would sit behind him and flash their high beams, he would quickly jump around in the car and drive off. Some people probably made complaints too because they dont do it anymore.

[Auslandau]

........ so black spots can be fixed? If this part of the road is so bad, the money should be now available to fix the area, make it safer and remove the camera? Or does it harbour a colony of green tree frogs that can't be disturbed? Or does the g'ment love the money the camera makes? Am I too cynical?



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[nugget378]

We lucky NSW residents get 3 big signs before every camera, starting from a couple of hundred metres or so before the camera, most slow down to under the limit way before the camera, the funny thing is people still get caught by them..

[cobbadan]

The bit that i cant understand about the one at kfc kelvin grove is that its clearly on a hill,,,,
A few months back i was watching a story on ACA or Today Tonight or something where they had people yabbering about how its just revenue raising and other people yabbering about how they should be sign posted, roat toll, blackspots etc etc.

During this story the presenter was rattling off the " rules " for radar placement and signage. As i expected and already knew they cannot be placed on a hill.

Im sure someone will clarify this for me if its not correct but thats what she said and thats what i always thought yet this camera is there every second day, on a hill,,, and every now and then just to mix things up a bit the van wont be there but they will have oldmate hiding in the trees at the bottom of the hill in the median strip with his radar gun getting people coming down the hill.

Am i missing something

[mrbaxr6t]

as for the actual radar guns part of the instruction manual became public domain, in it it outlines that - wind, falling leaves, poor lighting, fog, birds, pedestrians skew the reading and the measured speed will likely be false - it also states that these devices are not to be used on hills its in the manual for the thing for christs sake - yet they keep deploying them on hills - bigtime pet peeve of mine - nabbing someone 5kmh over the speedlimit at the base of a big hill is not saving anybodies life. The camera is there to fatten the coffers, and you are all delusional if you think they care about us living or dying. They let us smoke and drink (both of which can kill you) its not about saving lives when they are placed at the bottom of a damn hill.

[Burnout]

I was listening to Brisbane radio about this issue today; a woman rang in and advised the presenter that she her husband and three children all work in a family business. The family business involves a lot of driving She said they get booked a lot and as the fines come in the family member with the most amount of points left on their license cops the fine, in spite of on most occasion the driver is quite visible in the photograph.
They have never been challenged when they own up by ‘stat dec’ to these fines even when the photo in a fine may be the middle aged male and the youngest daughter cops the fine. If this is not revenue raising I’d like to know what is???????
Using this method the family maintains their driving licenses and the family business.

After this call there were a chorus of similar calls to the radio show giving the same story of sharing the fines around the workplace, family etc.

As an aside I was reading the ‘local rag’ on Friday and found an article where the local magistrate finally had enough of this local drive who had “ an appalling driving record” who was given a month in jail for his twentieth disqualified driving effort in fifteen years.

[joolz]

Looks like Queensland Gov has the gradient thing tied up..... http://www.police.qld.gov.au/Resourc...VanSiteEnq.pdf

[cobbadan]

Originally Posted by joolz

Looks like Queensland Gov has the gradient thing tied up..... http://www.police.qld.gov.au/Resourc...VanSiteEnq.pdf

Thanx Joolz Thats what i was missing

an interesting read -- ive tried to find something like that before but couldnt

[GS608]

This road where the speed camera is has serveral speed limit changes, pretty sure it goes 60 - 70 - 60 - 70..if this many people are being caught surely somethings wrong

[geckoGT]

The reason the camera was so busy is because so many were breaking the law, dry your eyes and cough up, do the crime you pay the fine.

That section of road is frequently the location of accidents.

The Kelvin Grove Rd is not advertised, it is just that it is there so frequently that everyone knows it is there. Unless they are referring to the small "speed camera in use" sign, which all of them have. When they first put that camera in it did a roaring trade, now nothing, which means it has worked. QLD at this moment only has 3 fixed speed cameras and they are the only ones that have signage.

As for the GPS units etc, they only display fixed sites and not mobile.

Why is it every time the police enforce a law they are revenue raising? When did laws become optional? How long are crap topics like this going to keep coming up?

This road where the speed camera is has serveral speed limit changes, pretty sure it goes 60 - 70 - 60 - 70..if this many people are being caught surely somethings wrong

Yep, you are so right something is wrong, they can not read signs (or do not care) and are speeding.


AAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!! It does my head in! The good thing is there will be closure soon; I can see the mods circling now.

[GS608]

Originally Posted by geckoGT

Yep, you are so right something is wrong, they can not read signs (or do not care) and are speeding.


AAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!! It does my head in! The good thing is there will be closure soon; I can see the mods circling now.

or maybe the speed limit doesn't suit the road?

[Auslandau]

Originally Posted by geckoGT

That section of road is frequently the location of accidents.

There tis ..... in one!

So whats the options? Stick a camera on it ...... or fix the bad section of road? Nope ..... fixing roads saves lives but cameras are more productive.



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[geckoGT]

or maybe the speed limit doesn't suit the road?

Or the attitude of the motorists using it.

There tis ..... in one!

So whats the options? Stick a camera on it ...... or fix the bad section of road? Nope ..... fixing roads saves lives but cameras are more productive.

The only thing wrong is all the people doing the rat run trying to get home quicker. There are certainly roads in a lot worse condition, this one is not too bad.

Look, I am not pro speed cameras, I believe there are better options for increasing road safety.

I am however anti people complaining about being busted breaking the law and blaming everyone except themselves.

[GS608]

Originally Posted by geckoGT

Or the attitude of the motorists using it.

i'd say its a mixture of both, speed limit doesn't suit the road and the motorists just go with the flow which would be above the limit..then they complain they got caught.

speed cameras are evil, they don't stop crashes at all, just raise money, a lot of people i know who have been caught just pay the fine then think "oh its already happened now so my chances of getting done again are pretty slim, i'll still speed"

[Auslandau]

....... but is a known black spot?



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[JG's33's]

Originally Posted by auslandau

....... but is a known black spot?

Correct me if I'm wrong but because an area is a black spot it doesn't necesarily mean it is because of the condition of the road. It just means that it has a high accident rate. This may be caused by a number of reasons other than the road condition which by the sounds of the "rat run" is more related to speed than the road itself.

[Pedro]

One of those after news shows (9 or 7) did a story on this the other night when the Qld ratheads (sorry I meant Govt) announced they were placing another umpteen cameras around Brisbane. The Channel did a freedom of information search and found none of the upcoming new cameras were in Govt. declared "Black Spots" And the Minister (Judy Spence) looked into the camera and announced "this is not revenue raising". Yes Judy, we all came down in the last shower. Such contempt!

[hdj80]

Originally Posted by Pedro

One of those after news shows (9 or 7) did a story on this the other night when the Qld ratheads (sorry I meant Govt) announced they were placing another umpteen cameras around Brisbane. The Channel did a freedom of information search and found none of the upcoming new cameras were in Govt. declared "Black Spots" And the Minister (Judy Spence) looked into the camera and announced "this is not revenue raising". Yes Judy, we all came down in the last shower. Such contempt!

But we are so used to it we accept it Pedro. Conditioned by 10 years of Beattie's bullsh$t.

Perhaps they should just admit that it is a revenue stream. Let's just remember it may be police manning the vans and sending out the tickets but none of it has anything to do with police....its just seen as a better deterent to have all traffic enforcement linked with police, rather than Vic which has private contractors doing speed camera....which increases the revenue as they cost less than putting police in them on double time.

Getting tickets suck, but they are like death and taxes if you drive a fast car...inevitable