Fatal flaw with speed cameras
From The Sunday Times
By Paul Murray
June 02, 2002
“Speed
cameras undermine public confidence in traffic enforcement.
Cabinet’s decision
to terminate speed cameras reflects this government’s commitment
to fairness and to the safety of the public.
Direct, visible policing
and immediate intervention is a much more effective deterrent to speeders
than getting a speed camera ticket in the mail.”
Does that sound like something
you’re likely to hear from the Gallop Government?
They were the words used by
British Columbia’s Attorney-General Geoff Plant when he ended
the Canadian province’s speed camera program – known there
as photo radar – last year.
His official statement added
that a police officer on the scene was in a much better position to
determine whether a speeding driver also was guilty of other offences
such as drinking-driving or driving without a proper licence.
And so BC scrapped the money-making
machines and put more cops back on patrol. The provincial government
had worked out what is now becoming apparent in Australia. Speed cameras
are great revenue raisers – but they are ineffective at cutting
the road toll.
BC followed the provincial Canadian
government of Ontario in dropping speed cameras. When Ontario made
the move, its then premier Mike Harris said Multanovas – that’s
what they were using were “a government cash grab”.
Speed cameras are on the nose
all over Canada. In Alberta, Calgary’s police union actually
backed a candidate for mayor of the city on the basis that he wanted
to do away with Multanovas.
Al Koenig, president of the
Calgary Police Association, was quoted in the Calgary Sun as saying
a Multanova was a cash cow not a road safety device.
You have only to look at our
latest state Budget to find out why speed cameras should be axed in
Western Australia – but won’t be.
The Budget, papers show that
income from speed and red light cameras jumped $10 million last financial
year to $49.2 million. This will rise again significantly next year
because it did not include a full year of the lower “60 means
60” tolerance level which boosted the current figure.
While the Budget shows this
alarming revenue increase, it also makes an even more startling projection.
The road toll will rise in the next financial year from nine deaths
per 100,000 people to 10.
That equates to 18 more deaths
on our roads next year, according to calculations by the Royal Automobile
Club.
So much for the Government’s
touted road-safety reforms, the effectiveness of speed cameras and
its target of six deaths per 100,000 by 2005.
Treasury doesn’t swallow
the rhetoric. What it sees is more cash from speed cameras and more
deaths on the roads.
And what about time spent policing
road safety? In 2000-01, the police spent nearly 1.6 million hours
on the job. The new Budget provides for 1.53 million hours –
that’s 68,000 man hours fewer in a year. And that’s 186
man hours per day fewer on traffic management and road safety than
two years ago.
Fewer cops on the road, more
money from Multanovas.
Worse still, the Gallop Government
has been caught reneging on its promise to use all the speed camera
revenue on road safety. Its own figures show that $33 million of the
$49.2 million was spent on what is called a road-enhancement program
– and most of that is just routine maintenance. A complete con
trick.
So why wouldn’t the road-safety
picture look grim? We pinch most of our road trauma strategies from
Victoria – and have a look at its record. It’s really
on the speed camera cash drip. That latest Victorian Budget shows
that speed camera use in Victoria has risen from 50,000 hours of use
at its inception in 1994-5 to 1.2 million hours. With it came explosive
revenue increases from $96 million to $337 million.
And the road trauma record over
those nine years? Deaths on Victorian roads went from 378 in 1994-5
to 448 last year – the highest in a decade.
Over the past financial year,
speed camera revenue went up by $131 million and the road toll increased
by 44.
So how do you paint a picture
from that of a road-safety strategy based on speed cameras? It’s
not possible.
And now there has been a split
in the bipartisan support for speed cameras in Victoria.
The Opposition transport spokesman
there, Geoff Leigh, says the Barracks Labor Government is addicted
to speed camera revenue. And he says police are being used on the
roads as tax collectors.
It’s time there was a
bit of political truth telling in this state about our flawed road-safety
strategy. A bit of realism in the evaluation of speed cameras.
It might just save 18 lives
– or more.
*Paul Murray hosts the morning
program on radio station 882 6PR
