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‘Something doesn’t add up’: the small Queensland town united in its fight against speed camera fines
(www.theguardian.com)
a mobile speed camera temporarily installed on a rural road led to at least 589 fines being issued in a town of just 811 households.
Gods that data is appalling. Is it really likely that that rate speeding is really going on? Especially after the first few days once the locals are familiar with the placement of the camera and won't be caught unawares.
As she drove past, she said an electronic speed-monitoring sign on the side of the road lit up green with a smile, indicating it believed she was going under the limit of 60km/h.
Weeks later, she discovered the camera disagreed. That was one of nine fines issued to her car between 15 and 20 September. All of them arrived the same day.
The fact that the fines take weeks to show up and you can be driving the same stretch of road that entire time, getting a fine every single day, is appalling. All but one fine per person should be thrown out on that basis alone.
The fact that their Speed Awareness Monitor thinks they were doing the right speed is also particularly bad. It seems likely to be the best evidence that this camera was just miscalbibrated and all its fines should be scrapped. But even if the camera was calibrated correctly and it's the SAM that's wrong, the fact that the SAM told drivers they're going the right speed should be ground enough for aquital, in my opinion. They were given clearance and told they were doing the right thing.
It's like if a Council officer pilut on high vis and started controlling a signalised intersection, instructing drivers to ignore the traffic lights. It doesn't matter that that officer might not have the appropriate training or authorisation to be doing what he was doing. Drivers shouldn't be given a red light fine for going when someone who appeared authoritative said they should go.
