New speed cameras could be a possibility for BOP

File Photo.

It's too early to say, but there could be a possibility that the Bay of Plenty could get the new average speed cameras, once the trial is completed in Auckland.

On Monday, government announced that in 2019 it will trial average speed cameras in the Waterview Tunnel and at a roadworks site on the Southern Motorway in Auckland.

'Average speed cameras are used in many other countries so it makes sense for us to trial them here in New Zealand,” says AA Principal Advisor – Regulations Mark Stockdale.

'If they can help us to get more people travelling at safe speeds and less tickets being issued that will be a win-win for everyone.”

Average speed cameras, also known as point-to-point cameras, measure how long it takes a vehicle to travel along a stretch of road.

Unlike current cameras, which just capture a vehicle's speed at a moment in time, the new cameras will only ticket vehicles travelling at an excessive average speed over the whole stretch of road.

A recent survey of AA Members found the majority supported the idea of average speed cameras.

'Overseas experience is that average speed cameras are better at keeping speeds down over wider areas than traditional cameras,” says Mark.

'Importantly, they also had much lower ticketing rates as they are focused on catching people who are consistently above the limit. The majority of drivers who aim to stick to the limit but might accidentally go above it briefly will avoid a ticket.”

Trial of warning signs at fixed speed camera sites

Elsewhere in Auckland, there will also soon be signage trialed at the locations of traditional fixed speed cameras.

'Global leaders in road safety like Sweden and the UK all have signs ahead of fixed speed cameras and the AA has been calling for many years to return to having signs ahead of fixed speed cameras. We are extremely pleased to see a trial looking at this,” says Mark.

'Fixed speed cameras are located in known high-risk areas so the best outcome for safety is giving people a chance to check their speed and to slow down if they need to.

'Giving fair warning to drivers so they have every opportunity to slow down also helps counter claims that the cameras are about revenue-gathering.

'Having cameras that issue millions of dollars in fines year-after-year shows that we need to be trying different approaches like these trials. Every ticket that gets issued is a failure because it means that someone has been travelling at an unsafe speed,” says Mark.

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7 comments

revenue collecting

Posted on 06-11-2018 09:34 | By hapukafin

If NZTA and the Police is serious about curbing road tolls .Show your face. A camera is only there to issue a ticket after someone has sped through,it doesnt caution the driver to take check,of their speed and adjust it .


Mmmm

Posted on 06-11-2018 10:21 | By philiphallen

What is all this trial b******t about? It’s totally obvious that this type of speed camera has worked very successfully throughout Europe. So why not just install the bloody things as soon as possible?


If the photo with this item is anything to go by

Posted on 06-11-2018 11:26 | By The Caveman

What will they be recording ? How slow the traffic is every day!!!


Great Idea

Posted on 06-11-2018 12:21 | By NJB

Put one on SH2 between KK & Bethlehem. They could clock our daily commute at around 20KPH


njb

Posted on 06-11-2018 18:55 | By Wonkytonk

Agree some parts are 20k but as the report says "average speed" and on this bit of road have had many accidents due to speed and other factors? bring it on i say


Snail pace

Posted on 07-11-2018 06:38 | By clingon

Average speed cameras won't pay for themselves with fines in tauranga's traffic-


Ideally someone needs to come up with a method

Posted on 07-11-2018 09:13 | By earlybird

of preventing excess speed on or roads rather than punishing the offenders after the event. Perhaps the level of fines needs to be revisited as well. If, for example, the fine for going through a red light was set at $1000 it would probably fix the problem overnight. If you don't pay your fine within 30 days it should be an automatic confiscation of your vehicle for a minimum of 30 days. I must admit that I speed from time to time when the road is clear but higher fines would stop that.


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