Nine out of ten speed camera tickets in New South Wales, Australia go for violations of 2 to 9 MPH over the limit.

Let’s say that again!

Nine out of ten speed camera tickets in New South Wales, Australia go for violations of 2 to 9 MPH over the limit.

A little over zealous, don’t you think?

The state of New South Wales, Australia generated A$143 million in profit from ticketing motorists last year. One of the largest sources of this revenue came from tickets issued to motorists accused of driving between 2 and 9 MPH over the limit. Documents obtained by the Sydney Daily Telegraph show that of 620,194 fixed speed camera citations issued in 2007, a total of 542,290 were for violations of 9 MPH or less. These minor violations generated $49,256,687 in revenue, helping the state to more than double the amount of fines collected over 2006.

Some state residents claim that inaccurate cameras are trapping the innocent. A lone speed camera located on St Helena Hill generated 19,381 in fines worth $2,646,916 last year. The number of fines issued exploded from an average of 13 per day in 2006 to 97 per day last year. Over a thousand motorists have insisted to local officials that they were not speeding when the camera issued a citation.

The Roads and Traffic Authority has refused to provide refunds because the agency finds no reason to question the citations.

“The RTA examined a random sample of speed camera offences that were recorded in June and found that in every case the camera was correct,” Minister for Health Reba Meagher said in answer to a parliamentary inquiry. “RTA technicians, along with the camera’s manufacturers, visited the St Helena Hill site to conduct further tests on the speed camera. These tests also proved the camera was working accurately and there were no faults in the system.”

Source: (Sydney Daily Telegraph (Australia), 3/18/2008)

SpeedTrapAhead reader Travis S. emailed recently to warn drivers in Austin of a dangerous Speed Trap area for westbound traffic on W. 15th street, just after passing the Lamar bridge.

Travis, who stated he hadn’t had a ticket in well over five years, got a surprise when he was cited for speeding in that area. Then, to add insult to injury, he got another just nine days later, even when he knew about the danger around that area and, “was trying to be careful.” Sorry, Travis.

Also in that area, there are often motorcycle cops along the small feeder roads to MoPac. Such as, westbound Enfield after turning left onto Winsted Lane. This is basically a residential road that is a feeder approaching MoPac. Keep your speed down here, as it is easy to get going too fast in your anticipation of entering the onramp.

Travis, thanks for your tip. Sorry that you’re having to deal with these unfortunate tickets; but, perhaps your experience will help others to avoid the same misfortune. Anyone else that knows of a especially nasty speed trap area, please email us. Even if it’s somewhere outside of Austin, let us know that too! We’re wanting to make the speed trap map as comprehensive as possible.

View Larger Map with MORE Austin Speed Traps!

A villager who lives near one of the most dangerous roads in Britain erects a fake speed camera in a bid to slow motorists down.

Gordon Crosbie said he was so fed up with drivers who hurtle along the narrow country road at speeds of up to 70mph that he built the replica Gatso using a plastic board and some reflective tape.

The 63-year-old oil worker, from Glentham, Lincolnshire, said the “camera” was so effective at slowing cars down that the villagers could once again move around the tiny village without fear of being mown down.

“It has had a 100 per cent success rate so far,” Mr Crosbie said. ”You can see it working and if it saves just one child’s life then it’s more than worth it.”

The notorious A631 Gainsborough to Market Rasen road, which runs through Glentham, is 17th in the AA’s survey of Britain’s most dangerous A roads. With the number of serious and fatal accidents on the stretch being three times the national average, it is hailed as the worst road in the East Midlands. But despite this, Mr Crosbie claimed his campaign to have fixed speed cameras installed in the village had fallen on deaf ears.

“I have lived in this village for 35 years and it really is one of the worst roads in the whole of Great Britain.

“It’s been noted by the AA and the RAC as having more accidents than any other villages. I’ve spent 20 years complaining about the traffic to the Road Safety Partnership and the police.

“All they do is come out checking the road but nothing gets done.”

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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania police admit they violated the law in issuing 650 lidar-based speeding tickets.

A pair of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania motorcycle police are under fire for breaking state law to issue 650 speeding tickets between October 1, 2007 and April 10, 2008. The officers hid on Route 65 near the West End Bridge and used lidar, a prohibited laser-based speed estimation device. Pittsburgh Police Chief Nate Harper admitted that the actions of his officers, who he declined to identify, violated the law.

“The officers were questioned on how many citations they have written and basically that’s when it hit our screen that officers were illegally utilizing equipment,” Harper said at a press conference yesterday. “It wasn’t authorized…. We apologize to all the public for the inconvenience, and lidar will no longer be utilized.”

KDKA-TV uncovered the fraud after being contacted by Jeff Grasha, a motorist who had received an illegal citation. Grasha said it was obvious the system was being used to raise money, not increase safety.

That was the reasoning of the state legislature forty years ago when it prohibited municipalities from using radar as a means of generating revenue (75 Pa.C.S. Section 3368). Although state police are allowed to use radar, no law enforcement agency in Pennsylvania has authorization to issue a citation with lidar. Repeated attempts to repeal the ban have failed despite pressure from insurance industry groups like AAA that support local radar and lidar use because it would lead to an increase in surcharges on automobile insurance policies.

In this case, the Pittsburgh officers were supposed to say that were “testing” lidar “along with” approved speed estimation devices. These include VASCAR — a sophisticated version of a stop watch — ESP, Accutrak and Enradd.

“It was a miscommunication between basically a supervisor and the officers,” Chief Harper said. “Out of the 24 officers, two officers misunderstood that this was only to be a test.”

Refunds will be issued and insurance companies may, on request, drop license points assessed as a result of the tickets.

Source: (KDKA-TV (PA), 4/15/2008)

Corpus Christi, Texas forced to cancel 260 red light camera tickets issued to motorists making a safe and legal right hand turn.

About 260 motorists wrongly accused of “red light running” in Corpus Christi, Texas will have their citations canceled. After receiving numerous complaints from innocent drivers, the Gulf Coast city was forced to admit that drivers who had safely stopped should not have been ticketed by the machine located at the intersection of Cimarron and Yorktown.

KIII-TV reported that motorists there must pull into the crosswalk to have a clear view of traffic before turning right. The red light camera, however, is set to photograph any vehicle that crosses the stop bar line a split-second after the light turns, even when the motorist makes a complete stop in the crosswalk for a better view before turning.

Police in Corpus Christi assert that they review video evidence of every single citation before the ticket is issued. Court testimony in a number of states shows that the more common procedure is that a stack of citations receive “bulk approval” without individual review. Corpus Christi police say that they will now look at video evidence and throw out tickets issued to cars that stop at the lights.

The bogus tickets would have generated almost $20,000 in revenue. Right turn traps are one of the largest sources of revenue for some red light camera programs.

Source: (KIII-TV (TX), 4/10/2008)