Safety – Amenity – Access – Health

The Walking Class Heroes

 

MEDIA RELEASE 

The PCA recently received the results of its latest FoI regarding schoolzone speeding offences in July and August 2009.

The Chairman of the PCA, Harold Scruby said: “The data provided for July and August 2009 prove that the only Primary Schools where there is any effective enforcement is at the 79 locations where the RTA has installed fixed speed cameras.  Police enforcement in the remaining 9,932 zones in NSW is virtually non-existent.  Highway Patrol officers each average half a ticket per month in NSW schoolzones.   Fixed cameras (where there are 3 warning signs and flashing lights) booked an average of 257 motorists per location.  Shackled by WorkCover regulations, in the same 2-month period, NSW Police only booked an average of 0.12 motorists in each of the remaining schoolzones (where there are no warnings or flashing lights).  Again, as the FoI proves, the chances of being booked by police in a NSW schoolzone are virtually nil:

 “The questions the NSW Government must answer are as follows:

1.  Why is NSW the only state or territory where there are no mobile speed cameras?
2. Who decided to phase out the 30 mobile speed cameras in NSW and why were they never replaced?
3. Why has the NSW Government ignored the RTA’s 2005 study which ‘recommended the purchase of in-car digital speed cameras to be operated by RTA Vehicle Regulation Inspectors (IVRs)’?
4. On 9 March 2009, in response to our last FoI on speeding in schoolzones, Premier Nathan Rees stated on the 6PM TV News:  “I view that with some concern and I’m getting a report on it.” Where is the report?
5. Why did the then Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal issue a Media Release in May 2006 promising to ‘install and rotate mobile speed cameras between all NSW schools’ then break that promise immediately after the ensuing election?

 Mr Scruby added: “The NSW Road Toll is up 30% on last year.  The RTA’s own data states that ‘excessive speed as a factor in fatal crashes is now up over 20% over the preceding 3 years’.

 “At the RTA’s “Policing and Education Conference last week”, leading guest speaker, Deputy Commissioner of  Victoria Police, Ken Lay, stated that mobile speed cameras were a ‘vital and integral part of their road safety enforcement program’.  He also said that the Victorian Government had just approved funding to increase the number of hours of operation of mobile speed cameras by 30%. 

“Speeding is out of control in NSW and all the authorities know it.  But they are forced to keep parroting ‘the high visibility policing’ ruse knowing full well that the only way to address the speeding epidemic is with a fleet of ‘low visibility’ digital mobile speed cameras, as in each and every other jurisdiction in Australia.

 “Meanwhile the NSW Government refuses to answer any of the above questions and has clearly decided to trade lives for votes in the lead up to the next election.  This is not a criticism of NSW Police who have no choice but to do their best with grossly inefficient and ineffective technology.  It’s a serious indictment of a dithering government which appears to care more about appeasing the shock-jocks and the NRMA than the safety of the people of NSW.”  Mr Scruby said.

 Contact:         Harold Scruby - (0418) 110-011