Press Release

The RACT wants the next Tasmanian Government to take heed of a special report from the Tasmanian Auditor-General's office late last year on speed camera operations, and to implement the recommendations.

The Audit Office made 10 recommendations which the RACT says should be reviewed and implemented as soon as possible.

"The RACT would like to hear from the Government what action they have taken since the report was handed down in relation to each of the 10 recommendations," said RACT spokesman Vince Taskunas.

"We would also like to hear the opinions of the Liberals and the Greens on what their response to the Report's recommendations are," he said.

"In particular, the Report drew attention to the deployment of speed detection devices, and found that some may be being used in the wrong places.

"It found that a disproportionate percentage of speed camera enforcement was occurring in 40-60 km/h zones, despite a higher percentage of fatal and serious crashes occurring in 100 and 110km/h zones.

"While the RACT accepts the need for enforcing all speed zones, when speed detection devices are over-deployed in low speed areas, motorists become cynical about their operation. The RACT wants all motorists to regard speed cameras as an aid to safety on the roads - which they are. 

The Auditor-General also recommended that more fixed cameras should be used in Tasmania, a measure RACT has consistently lobbied for.

"The RACT's recently-released 'Roadmap' document advocated a strategy of multiple fixed speed camera sites in Tasmania as a cost-effective speed reduction measure," Mr Taskunas said. "At any one time, only a small number of cameras might be mounted at some of the sites, and they would be rotated regularly so that passing motorists would have to treat every site as 'live'. 

"Unmanned fixed speed cameras in high-speed zones would be more cost-effective, and would free up resources for additional covert or high-visibility enforcement operations."

In addition, the RACT recommended that a new link be established between the collection of speeding fines and the investment of that revenue to make local roads safer, by quarantining a percentage of the revenue for this purpose to set aside as a new Local Road Maintenance Fund.

"An obvious connection between speed camera revenue and road safety improvements would go a long way to addressing some motorists' cynical views of speed enforcement," Mr Taskunas said.

Click here to download the RACT's "Roadmap for the Next Tasmanian Government"

ENDS  24 Feb 2010

For further information:
Vince Taskunas, GM Public Policy & Communications   
0417 005 647