New speed cameras result in $12 million in extra fines in Melbourne
A decision to upgrade speed cameras with new technology has raked in more than $12 million for the Victorian Government in extra fines.
The Victorian Government has increased its fine revenue by more than $12 million just by updating road safety cameras around Melbourne.
Victoria’s road authority identified 10 speed cameras across the city that were still using original film processing equipment, known as wet-film technology, which could only detect red light infringements
Replacing the cameras with newer technology, which can detect red light violations as well as speeding offences, has resulted in a substantial increase in fines.
This huge jump in fines was revealed in the 2018-2019 annual report from Victoria’s Office of the Road Safety Camera Commissioner (ORSCC), John Voyage.
“The comparison of pre and post-upgrade is clear. The improved camera systems have played a role in detecting much larger numbers of infringing drivers than their predecessors,” Mr Voyage wrote in the report.
“The road safety consequences are that more drivers have received a reminder that speeding is unacceptable.”
During the 2015-2016 financial year, the cameras picked up 660 infringements and brought in $253,172 in fines.
In comparison, during the 2017-2018 financial year the upgraded systems recorded 51,275 infringements and resulted in $12,650,056 in fines.
The camera on the intersection of North Rd and Clayton Rd in Clayton caught the most reckless drivers.
It went from 24 infringements and $9854 in fines to 16,872 drivers being caught and more than $4.1 million in fines issued.
The camera with the second most infringements was at the Brighton Rd and Glen Eira Rd intersection in St Kilda East, which went from 236 infringements and $88,191 in fines to 13,863 infringements and more than $3.2 million in fines.
The camera at Pascoe Vale Rd and Peck Ave in Strathmore recorded more than $1.3 million in fines, which was up from $8338.
In Hawthorn, the camera at Barkers Rd and Glenferrie Rd went from $107,257 in fines to more than $1.1 million, and the Princes Hwy and Purnell Rd camera at Corio increased from $7580 to $835,942.
The camera in East Brighton at the Nepean Hwy and Centre Rd brought in just under $500,000, up from $13,265, and in Geelong North, the Thompson Rd and Separation St camera went from $7201 in fines to $448,396 in fines.
In South Geelong on Moorabool St and Fyans St, the fines increased from $32,215 to $432,965, and in North Coburg on Murray Rd and Elizabeth St the fines went from $22,361 to $323,306.
In Belmont on Settlement Rd and Torquay Rd, the fines went from $9475 to $301,157.
In the ORSCC report, Mr Voyage noted that none of the fines issued were a result of malfunctions with the road safety cameras.
“Every year since the commencement of this office we have reported that there is no evidence of anyone who obeyed the law receiving an inappropriate infringement notice due to malfunction of the road safety cameras,” Mr Voyage noted.
“This is again the situation in the year 2018/19.”