News
23 Mar 2016
Western Ring Rd, Broadmeadows ranks in top 10 for speed, red light camera fines
From Herald Sun
SPEED cameras on a popular stretch of freeway in Broadmeadows have racked up more than $2.23 million worth of fines in just three months.
State Government figures reveal cameras on four lanes of the Western Ring Rd, west of Sydney Rd, detected more than 10,000 driver breaches between October and December last year.
Of those, 3973 infringements were issued by cameras in lane four alone, accruing $893,472 in fines and placing it in the top 10 safety camera sites in the state.
It was a slight drop from the previous quarter, where lane four made up for $1.14 million in camera revenue alone between July and September 2015.
Acting Hume Inspector Phil Nash said while it was comforting to see a small drop in fines, their focus on speeding remained.
“It’s a priority for police, it’s a priority for everyone. We’re just trying to lower the road toll and serious injury,” he said.
Cameras on the Hume Freeway nabbed 2485 offences south of Amaroo Rd in Craigieburn, while 2534 infringements were issued for excessive speeds between Amaroo and O’Herns roads.
Across the three months, speed and red light cameras detected 306 offences at the corner of Pascoe Vale Rd and Reservoir Drive in Coolaroo, a total of $92,159. In Campbellfield, 1134 infringements were issued at the intersection of Mahoneys and Sydney roads, while 717 infringements were issued via cameras at the corner of Sydney and Barry roads.
The corner of Somerton Rd and Hume Highway saw 327 offences attract $90,586 worth of fines.
A Department of Justice and Regulation spokesperson said the majority of vehicles that passed road camera sites travelled below the speed limit, a compliance rate of 99 per cent.
But he said there were still too many motorists who continued to ignore the road risk and put their lives — and those of others — at risk.
Fawkner Highway Patrol Sergeant Dean Pickering said some drivers cared “very little for other road users”, with young males under the age of 30 predominantly pinned for excessive speeding.
He said one of their “headache” hot spots was the Pascoe Vale Rd exit ramp, as well as Sydney Rd through Campbellfield and Somerton.
He said drops in infringement numbers suggested the cameras were doing their job. “It’s not complex — do the right thing,” Sgt Pickering said.
“Stop at red lights and obey the speed limits. “If people are doing the right thing, we’re not going to bother them.”