School camera on cars
From The Sunday Times
By Joe Spagnolo
February 26, 2006
Speed cameras will be mounted
at school crossing throughout the state as part of a radical new plan
to protect children.
Police Minister John D’Orazio told
The Sunday Times that motorists were not heeding warnings about speeding
in school zones and he feared it was only a matter of time before
a child was killed.
The plan, which will go before State
Cabinet in coming weeks, would initially see about six cameras at
the state’s most dangerous school locations, but eventually
the scheme could be extended to other areas.
He said the proportion of drivers exceeding
the speed limit in school zones was nearly four times higher than
the WA average in other zones.
“The safety of our children is
paramount and there is no excuse for endangering children’s
lives. If this measure works and we save the life of just one child,
then it’s worth doing,” Mr D’Orazio said.
“Some of the things that have happened
since the start of the school year have been horrific in these school
zones and we need to send a clear message to the community that will
not be tolerated.
“These drivers are putting the
lives of our children at risk. The concept of having speed cameras
at a particular site will send a clear message that if you are going
to go through an area and break the speed limit, you will be picked
up and fined.”
Mr D’Orazio also wants to use the
fines from speeding motorists at schools to be spent on safety measures
around schools.
He estimates that six Multanovas placed
at high-risk schools would raise up to $17 million in the first year.
“Stopping speeding is the first
priority, but I would also like to see all revenue raised from cameras
in school zones used to fund safety measure around schools,”
he said.
“This could help fund the increasing
demand for traffic wardens and also provide funding for other road-safety
projects such as pelican crossings around schools.”
In the first three days of the 2006 school
year, 1529 motorists were caught speeding in school zones. The worst
case was a 27-year-old man driving at 132km/h.
“Based on these figures, with 8
percent of traffic likely to be exceeding the speed limit in the first
year, six Multanovas placed at six schools would raise up to $17 million
in the first year,” he said.
