First new fixed speed camera sites confirmed

Friday, 6 June 2014 - 9:56am

National News

Communities in Auckland and Wellington will be the first to enjoy safety benefits from a new generation of fixed speed cameras, as part of a national rollout of cameras in sites with the highest risk of speed-related crashes. The $10m project will see 56 new digital cameras in place across the country by the end of next year.

Police has today published the first 12 sites that will receive the new cameras, which use the latest radar-based digital technology to detect speeding vehicles. The cameras are being supplied by Redflex Traffic Systems, following a contestable tender process, and will be rolled out gradually across the country over the next 18 months.

Assistant Commissioner Road Policing, Dave Cliff, says confirmation of the first six sites in Wellington and six in Auckland represents a significant milestone, after Police announced plans last July to modernise and expand its fixed (or static) speed camera network. The current fixed camera network is almost 20 years old and uses outdated wet film technology. The 12 sites are a mix of existing and new locations.

"Announcing the first sites that will receive the new advanced cameras represents an exciting step forward, as we work with our road safety partners to save lives and prevent serious injuries on our roads, particularly in those places where the evidence tells us there is a high risk of speed-related crashes," Mr Cliff says. "We have consulted with people in those communities directly affected by placement of the cameras, who were all resoundingly supportive of having them in their neighbourhoods to improve road safety."

NZ Transport Agency Road Safety Director Ernst Zollner says the rollout of the new speed cameras will be welcomed by most New Zealanders. “We know that a clear majority of Kiwis support the efforts of Police to save lives and prevent serious injuries by enforcing speed limits. We are aiming to bring the road toll down by making every part of our transport system safer – vehicles, roads and roadsides, speeds and road users.

"Effective speed management is an essential part of creating a safer transport system, because the speed a vehicle is travelling at directly affects both crash probability and crash severity. In other words, the higher a vehicle’s speed the more likely it is to crash and the more likely people are to be killed or injured when it does crash. In some high-risk situations where other road safety measures can’t be applied to address the risk, speed cameras will be the most effective crash deterrent.”

Mr Cliff says the first new camera will be installed for testing at Ngauranga Gorge, in Wellington, next week, eventually replacing an earlier model camera in use at the site since September 2013. The new camera will undergo a rigorous testing and calibration process before 'going live' in July. Police will use mobile cameras and other enforcement while the camera is being tested.

"While the camera already in use at Ngauranga Gorge is of a newer generation, there have been yet further advances in technology since it was installed last year that we wish to take advantage of," Mr Cliff says. "It also makes sense that we start the camera upgrade process with the same 'second generation' technology that will ultimately be rolled out across the rest of the country. This provides us with a consistent baseline from which to test the equipment across a range of conditions and gather useful information that will help inform the rest of the rollout process."

Mr Cliff says Police will publish the locations for the remaining cameras as soon as they are confirmed and the appropriate community consultation and engineering assessments have been carried out.

"Placement of the cameras will be an open process. The site selections are based on robust scientific evidence, and no other reason," Mr Cliff says. "Police does not receive any money collected from speeding fines, which goes to Government funds. However, any fine issued is nothing when compared with the devastating social, human and economic cost of a crash to our communities.

"What we do know from the research both here and overseas is that speed cameras encourage motorists to slow down, thereby reducing the risk of people being injured or killed in a crash."

Mr Cliff says the cameras will all be placed in locations assessed as having a high risk for speed related crashes, including those where people have died or been injured in crashes involving speed. "The assessment process uses expert independent analysis based on a decade of crash data, and in-depth knowledge from police and other local traffic experts. We have also taken on board the views of people in communities who are directly affected."

Mr Cliff says about 140 sites in total around the country have been identified as having a high risk of speed related crashes, providing a framework for road safety agencies, councils and local communities to target their enforcement and education efforts in known problem areas.

Martin Matthews, Secretary for Transport and Chair of the National Road Safety Committee, says: "I welcome the Police announcement and support their efforts to reduce speeding and improve safety for all road users. Safer speeds are a key component of implementing the safe system approach to road safety which is the corner stone of the Safer JourneysStrategy.

"Latest crash figures show driver speed was a factor in 29 per cent of fatal and 19 per cent of serious injury crashes. Due to the robust risk analysis behind site selection, the new speed cameras will be best located to reduce speeding and make our roads safer," he says.

ACC Chief Executive, Scott Pickering, says: "The faster you go, the more likely you are to have a serious injury if you crash. Around 30,000 people get injured on our roads every year, many of them seriously. Sticking to the speed limit is just common sense if you want to reduce the risk of harm to yourself and other road users."

Funding for the speed camera upgrade project is being provided by the New Zealand Transport Agency through its Road Policing Programme, with Police and the agency to share ongoing operating costs.

As part of a separate project, Police will also pilot a small number of newer generation red light cameras before the end of the year, employing similar site selection methodology to the speed camera expansion project.

For more information, go to:

• Media kit - First 12 new static camera sites (PDF, 547KB)

• www.police.govt.nz/speedcameras

ENDS

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