Comments on: NSW fine revenue figures

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 12:21:11 +0000

After 20 years without an infringement I just got a $324 fine in the mail for apparently doing 60km/hr in a 40km/hr school zone. It was a few minutes before 4pm. There was not a kid (they all went home almost an hour ago) or any other pedestrian in sight. I was on a dead straight 3 lane main road. The “school zone” sign is easy to miss in the cluttered roadside at this location. There was no “speed camera operating” sign anywhere. I think it was a permanent camera but they didn’t fill me in on this detail.

What an absolute joke. I talked to a friend who lives in the area “oh that camera got me too”. Apparently I cannot even ask for leniency because it was in a school zone. Revenue raising at its grubbiest.

By: Trevor

Trevor — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:20:27 +0000

I’ve been photographed twice in the same day at the Cleveland St, Moore Park ‘trap’.

Try as I have, I couldn’t find any other 40/50 zones (school times / off times) on a main arterial road like Cleveland St.

Even in heavily built-up areas (with parking & high pedestrian crossing) like Ashfields Liverpool St, it’s a 60 zone out of school hours.

By: Liz

Liz — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:37:02 +0000

RE: Geoff Sirmai Says: May 9th, 2008 at 12:14 pm

Would you mind letting us know how you went?

I have been caught at the same spot doing 63km. Who would have thought that that strip of Cleveland Street is 50Km/h.

Anzac Pde joined to that part of Cleveland Street is 70km/h and further that part of the street is not even residential. Why is it 50km and where are the signs?

Any ideas?

By: Sergio

Sergio — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 08:14:22 +0000

The public must have the right to know at what speed the camera is triggering, and only an institution like the NRMA can take the RTA to a Court of Law to force the publication of the figure.

People being fined for 3 K/h over the limit is unethical. It must be considered:

1.- The error in the measuring devices (both the camera and the car) ,and
2.- the difficulties in controlling the speed, unless the vehicle is driven (say) 10 km under the speed limit.

Studies in the USA shows that raising the speed limit (that some states actually have done) has, in fact, lowered the rate of fatalities.

The reader may refer to the website:

http://www.roadsense.com.au/latest.html

To make my position clear for sake of contributing, in goof faith, the law should be as hard as possible with drivers breaching the limit for more that 30 km/h, but no points, or just one point should be deducted for driving up to 14 km/h over the limit.

When people that have been driving for many years (sometimes over 30) has lost half their license to just two fines for exceeding the limit for three Km/h on dubiously marked 50 Km/h zones, we have a clear indication that the system is unfair.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:29:13 +0000

RE: Geoff Sirmai Says: May 9th, 2008 at 12:14 pm

Geoff, I also have been caught out at the same spot on Cleveland Street near Anzac Pde at 60kl, I was not aware this was a 50klm zone, does anyone know how I can find out when this speed limit zone changed? Any advice on how best I could fight this would be great, I thought the speed limit was 60klm other than school times. I have elected to go to court. What is also amusing is not more than 100m up the rd on Anzac pde the speed limit changes 4 times in the space of less than 500m.

Having been fined twice within days for travelling at 62 k/h on Cleveland Street near Anzac Pde at 11pm, I’d love some feedback or advice from members about how to respond (in court) to what is obviously a ‘trap’ - a 50k/hr section on a main arterial road when all roads nearby (including tiny local streets) have 60 or above! Do I have any chance of beating this in court? There’s nothing dangerous about this speed at this time of day/night (and in truth, in daylight it’s impossible to go that fast as the street is a parking lot!)

The fine is tiny ($79) in each case but I can’t afford 2 x 3 points!
Does NRMA have a legal advice dept still?

By: chee

chee — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:12:11 +0000

Hi Geoff,

I found this (http://trafficlaw.com.au/speeding.fines.html) which might be useful:

Q. I just received 7 speed camera fines in the mail, including 4 on a single day, with a total of 13 demerit points. What can I do?

There are several options. You can write to the Traffic Camera Office and ask for all but one fine to be withdrawn on the basis that if you had received the first fine promptly and before the others, you would not have reoffended. This might be the case if the offences were committed on the same day or over a period of a week or two. The PRB (Penalty Review Board) has guidelines for this and they are able to make you pay the most serious fine and withdraw the others. Writing to the PRB also has its downside if you later decide to take your case to court, so you may want to get legal assistance and advice if you want to protect all your rights. Another option is to lodge an objection to each of the fines and use various strategies to get rid of them, or win them, via the court system.

By: Geoff Sirmai

Geoff Sirmai — Fri, 09 May 2008 02:14:36 +0000

The fine is tiny ($79) in each case but I can’t afford 2 x 3 points!
Does NRMA have a legal advice dept still? I can’t get through by phone and the website is a maze

By: Matthew

Matthew — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:31:17 +0000

Awareness of ones surroundings (defensive driving) is one of the keys to safe driving. Constant attention to monitoring and maintaining a precise speed diverts precious and necessary attention (as do mobile phones) from the difficult and more important task of monitoring and adapting to the external conditions.
Research repeatedly shows that far superior safety outcomes are achieved in circumstances of uniform relative speed, over enforcement of a precise absolute speed.
I frequently see drivers desperately standing on their brakes to slow from 70km/h to 40km/h on major arterial roads, frequently nearly causing numerous collisions, as they enter a school zone, with not a child in sight! It’s nonsense!

By: Bruce McCourt

Bruce McCourt — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 22:38:02 +0000

From the years that I have been involved with safety in industry, I have all ways noted the lack of training for the drivers of vehicles. For apprentices their training commences on the least expensive machines and, are taught how to be safe with the machine during operation. This must apply to the road machine operators (vehicles). Learning some basic knowledge on traction, center of gravity and towing trailers. Their has to be a type of institute for the learning in road vehicle operations. This not to prevent people in obtaining a license but, to obtain a safer manner for individuals who either driver in the cities or out on the country roads. Forcing people to pay fines does not improve knowledge, it only improves the revenue for the Government.

By: E.J.Harvey

E.J.Harvey — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:04:22 +0000

Hefty fines will not save lives!
A better deterrent for speeding motorists would be loss of license and use of motor vehicle.