Safe Speed Forums

Coalition to raise driving speeds
Linda Silmalis - The Sunday Telegraph February 27, 2011 12:00AM

Election policy: NSW Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell (left) with Shadow Transport Minister Andrew Stoner near the state's highest revenue-raising speed camera, at Cleveland Street in Moore Park. Picture: Tom Hancock. Source: The Sunday Telegraph

SPEED camera "traps" will be eliminated and speed limits lifted on roads across NSW under a complete overhaul of traffic management planned by the Coalition.

The Opposition will today announce an election policy to conduct a statewide speed audit of roads after receiving an overwhelming reaction to a proposal - revealed in January by The Sunday Telegraph - to raise speed limits on major single-lane highways in the bush from the current 100km/h to 110km/h.
The audit is aimed at cutting the number of confusing speed zones on major roads that are huge revenue earners for the State Government, reaping millions of dollars in fines from unsuspecting motorists.
On one section of the Great Western Highway, drivers have to negotiate more than 40 speed limit changes in a single 72km section.

Major speed traps targeted for rationalisation include:
* Cleveland St in Sydney, where the speed limit was cut from 60km/h to 50km/h in 2007, leading to it becoming the site of the highest grossing speed cameras in NSW raising $6 million from nearly 50,000 motorists last year.
* The M2 motorway where speed limits drop from 80km/h to 70km/h at the Epping tunnel, even though the speed limit in the opposite direction is 100km/h. The tunnel camera caught 9767 speeding motorists last year.
* The Princes Hwy near Heathcote where it changes from 70km/h to 50km/h.
* The Anzac Bridge's zone drop from 70km/h to 60km/h.

Other targets include the Princes Hwy between Sutherland and Yarrawarrah, near the Royal National Park, and where the limit has been lowered from 90km/h to 80km/h. A 40km/h zone between two schools on King Georges Rd in Beverly Hills will also be targeted.

The Coalition policy, to be unveiled at the NSW Liberal and National Party regional campaign launch in Dubbo today, will include a review of mobile and fixed speed cameras to determine whether they are being used to raise revenue or save lives.

In addition to making speed limits uniform, motorists will be asked to nominate their worst road on a specially set up website.
Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell said the Coalition policy was aimed at ending an era of NSW motorists being used as revenue-raisers by the State Government.
"Speed limits should be about safety and saving lives, not about revenue raising," Mr O'Farrell said.
"After 16 years of Labor, the emphasis is on speed cameras, rather than a visible police presence on the state's roads."
State Nationals leader Andrew Stoner said the speed limit audit would begin immediately if elected.

He said speed zones would be rationalised within the first year of government.
"The Keneally-Labor Government has chosen revenue raising over road safety, cold cash over common sense," Mr Stoner said.
"We believe that clearer and more consistent speed limits will not only increase driver compliance and safety, but will also improve traffic flow and help to reduce travel times for motorists."
He said the proposed website would enable the public to submit examples of inconsistent, dangerous and confusing speed zones to help guide the government.

Drivers will also be able to subscribe to an email service notifying them of speed limit changes in their local area.
The Auditor-General will be asked to report on whether speed cameras are designed to raise revenue or to save lives.

NSW Office of State Revenue figures show the Government earned a staggering $322,485,773 in the past five years from 2,669,373 motorists stung by a Roads and Traffic Authority static speed camera.

The most lucrative year for the State government was in 2007-08, when 678,001 NSW motorists were caught speeding, netting Treasury a record $79,805,551.
So far this financial year, the State Government has earned $32,388,432 from 208,979 NSW motorists who were caught speeding.
Under the Coalition's plan, speed zones would be rationalised with few speed limit changes over short distances.
The policy is among the key announcements to be delivered at its regional campaign launch at the Dubbo Regional Theatre.
National Party leader Warren Truss will be among more than 400 Coalition supporters to hear Mr Stoner and Mr O'Farrell unveil their plans for the bush.
Other Coalition guests will include Queensland LNP John-Paul Langbroek and the former NSW deputy premier Ian Armstrong.