NRMA head Alan Evans has raised concerns about the point-to-point speed cameras soon to operate on Canberra’s Athllon Drive, saying the technology could encourage ‘‘improper behaviour’’ on the road.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But the government says point-to-point cameras have proved effective in reducing speed elsewhere in the ACT.
The speed cameras on Athllon Drive have been installed and testing is about to begin, which is expected to take six weeks.
Mr Evans said with two main roundabouts on the stretch between Drakeford Drive and Beasley Street, the presence of cameras could have drivers slow down at roundabouts, then fail to drive to conditions as they sought to maintain an average speed.
Mr Evans said point-to-point speed cameras had been better utilised in NSW, where they had been installed on long stretches of road and used to monitor trucks.
‘‘The technology’s got to be used in a smart manner to make sure that you’re actually having a serious effect on dangerous driving and curbing behaviour that is actually going to lead to road trauma,’’ he said.
Mr Evans said there were better ways to prevent accidents.
‘‘All research shows beyond any shadow of a doubt that the best way to improve road behaviour is to have a visible police presence.’’
But acting Attorney General Joy Burch said despite the presence of roundabouts on Athllon Drive, the point-to-point cameras would be effective.
“This is because the roundabouts are free-flowing intersections and do not significantly reduce the average speed of mid-to-high-range speeding offenders who are most at risk of being involved in a crash,” she said.
Ms Burch said during the five years 2006 to 2010, ACT Policing reported speeding as the main factor in more than 31 per cent of fatal crashes in Canberra.
She said on Hindmarsh Drive, where point-to-point cameras were already operating, fewer motorists were speeding.
“The extent to which this translates into reduced crashes or reduced crash risk will be evaluated,” she said.
In March last year, the Austroads study reported that Tasmania, Western Australia and Northern Territory were the only jurisdictions yet to implement point-to-point cameras, Ms Burch said.
A spokeswoman for the Justice and Community Safety Directorate said a government study released in 2010 showed Athllon Drive carried more than 26,000 vehicles a day and had a total of 441 crashes reported over the period used in the study – 27.6 crashes each kilometre each year.
She said speed surveys undertaken for the Territory and Municipal Services Directorate in April for the section of Athllon Drive between Sulwood Drive and Beasley Street showed 15 per cent of motorists travelled at a speed greater than 84.1km/h.
Ms Burch said evaluations of point-to-point cameras in Britain found reductions in the number of people killed or seriously injured exceeded 50 per cent.
