29 July 2011

NRMA welcomes speed camera removal in NSW

The NRMA has welcomed the removal of more than a quarter of NSW's fixed speed cameras.

Roads Minister Duncan Gay ordered 38 of the state's 141 speed cameras be shut down on Wednesday morning following an Auditor-General's report that found they had no significant road safety benefit.

Mr Gay said the report was vindication of community concern that some speed cameras were being used as revenue generators.

"The auditor's report actually picks up on a number of things the NRMA has been calling for, for a long time," NRMA motoring and services president Wendy Machin told reporters in Sydney.

"We believe the government has to act in good faith.

"They said that any cameras that weren't contributing to safety should not be used.

"They're going to do that and I think that's the right thing to do and I think the public would agree with that."

Premier Barry O'Farrell ordered the audit in April, to address motorists' concerns some cameras were used as cash cows under the previous government.

While he found that 38 of the cameras were ineffective, he also said none had been located purely for revenue raising.

Mr Gay ordered the RTA to switch the cameras off on Wednesday morning and said they would be torn down in coming weeks.

He left the door open to them being placed elsewhere but insisted there would be a net reduction of speed cameras.

Ms Machin agreed with a suggestion in Mr Achterstraat's report that there could now be an annual review of speed cameras.

27 Jul 2011

This move indicates that the government is aware that the introduction of speed cameras, has failed to reduce road deaths, but rather introduction of the speed cameras was used purely for financial gain, rather the road death reduction.

Motoring organisations like the NRMA, and RACV have been highly critical of the effectiveness of the the speed cameras with respect to the road toll.

In Victoria, a large bank has bought the traffic fine camera operations, as it sees them as a huge money spinner, and not a road death reducer.

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