Victorian drivers avoid 700,000 fines, after cameras were switched off for roadworks
Rogue drivers have avoided a whopping 700,000 speeding and red light fines — all because cameras have been switched off, some of them for at least two years. Here’s why.
WES HOSKING, Herald Sun July 14, 2020 5:40pm
Around 700,000 speeding and red-light running drivers have escaped fines because cameras were switched off — some for roadworks which finished more than two years earlier.
Victoria’s Road Safety Camera Commissioner has called for action to fix the problem.
It has sparked safety concerns and likely cost millions of dollars.
The commissioner is also pushing for mobile cameras and police to enforce speed limits when roadworks are happening amid concern rogue drivers are getting away scot-free.
Road Safety Camera Commissioner Stephen Leane, formerly Victoria’s top roads cop, told the Herald Sun: “Cameras save lives.”
“I am keen to see that where they are installed they are operating for as many hours in the day as they can,’’ Mr Leane said.
“The system needs to be fair so if you speed or run a red light you are treated the same as a person who did the same thing as you.
“When cameras are deactivated for longer than they should be it affects that fairness.”
The commissioner, on the request of Police Minister Lisa Neville, examined the downtime of fixed and mobile safety cameras between July 2017 and December 2019.
Fixed cameras were down about 18 per cent of the time.
Cameras were switched off for testing, vandalism, upgrades and technical issues including the WannaCry virus which struck in June 2017.
But roadworks were the main reason cameras weren’t on — accounting for half of deactivated sites in the last six months of last year alone.
A whopping 80 per cent of downed cameras hadn’t been working for at least 90 days.
Five fixed cameras switched off for roadworks — including one at the corner of William and Flinders streets and another at Olympic Blvd and Batman Ave in the city — hadn’t been working fully for at least 2 ½ years even though construction had long finished.
The others were at Terminal Dve and Centre Rd in Tullamarine, Centre and Huntingdale roads in Oakleigh South and the Western Ring Rd at Keilor East.
Four of eight cameras on Geelong Rd were deactivated because of Westgate Tunnel and road widening works.
“Speed and red light cameras are there to protect us and keep us safe on the road,’’ Mr Leane said.
“The community should know that there’s every chance that if they break the law they may well get a ticket.
“For government there is advice in this report to keep the system operating as effectively as it can.
“There has been improvement in the last three years but there is room to do better in managing the system.”
The commissioner recommended an audit of long-term deactivated camera sites to check why they weren’t operating and better co-ordination between authorities.
Herald Sun analysis shows of the estimated 700,000 fines which weren’t detected almost half were on highways, a third related to speed cameras at intersections and almost a fifth at red light cameras.
There were no downtime issues with mobile cameras.
