Boxing Day Special - Average Speed Cameras coming our way!

[AJ']

damn i was trying to find the "like" button

to much facebooking lately

[Berries]

Out of 55 fixed speed cameras in New Zealand, seven are on State Highways and 10 are on roads which had fatal crashes this year.

That can't be right. Four fixed cameras in Dunedin, three of them are on state highways.

The good thing about fixed cameras is you can generally ride between the detector loops so they aren't a problem (and they don't all have cameras in them anyway). And point to point cameras, as someone else said, are generally aimed at the front of the vehicle. So until we get frontal registration, which they have been discussing for years now, you are pretty safe unless you take the piss and shoot through with an average speed of 180km/h every other day.

[vifferman]

The top earning fixed camera was on State Highway 1 at Sanson, where more than 9800 tickets were issued in the first nine months of the year.
The next top three locations for tickets issued were mobile sites in Auckland - in Otahuhu, Birkenhead and Henderson - each responsible for about 5000 tickets. Otahuhu had one fatal crash.

I live near both the Birkenhead sites; both are at the bottom of a dip, with a rise either side, so are obviously aimed at catching people who allow their speed to creep over the limit. Admittedly, one is outside Northcote College, however during the hours when pupils are most likely to e at risk from traffic, the traffic is heavy enough that it is crawling.
Strange that the speed camera on East Coast Bays road wasn't mentioned in your quote - that was the country's biggest earner for a long time. Also one of the busier roads in NZ. Somewhere I read the accident stats for that - not exactly high.

A few weeks ago, I was awarded a prize for stupidity outside the police HQ.
The officer said he would've let me off if I was only 7 or 8 km/h over the limit, but "... speed is a major factor in most motorcycle crashes..."
That got me thinking, as I've had a few (crashes, not beers, although I've had a few of those too). In only one (where a cyclist turned in front of me without looking) was it possible that if I'd been going a bit slower that I may have avoided it. However, I was not speeding (nor was I in any of the other incidents), so that may be irrelevent. In fact, in three instances, I was at a standstill or close to it when I crashed.
Of course, my small statistical sample proves nothing, although I did learn heaps from each and every incident, so that's a Good Thing.

[MSTRS:Me]

Has anyone figured out that 'average speed cameras' should actually cause speeds to climb? It is well known that, over a longish distance, the average speed of any given vehicle is likely to be some 20 - 25% less than the posted speed limit. If people are like me they will work out that they can travel at 10-15% (or more) over the limit for some distance, and still be quids-in when it comes to the average speed. If such a camera system was installed to cover the entire length of the Desert Rd, this would definitely be the case. Hell - I could travel at XXXkph for 20kms, then stop for a picnic, before continuing on my journey to the other camera. At which point I'd be giving it the finger...
Would TPTB be stupid enough to place such cameras more than a couple of kms apart?

[Swoop]

Would TPTB be stupid enough to ...

We are talking about public servants' here.

[Devil]

The officer said he would've let me off if I was only 7 or 8 km/h over the limit, but "... speed is a major factor in most motorcycle crashes..."

Well factor and cause are two different things...
I bet sheep are a factor in most motorcycle accidents, because they're almost always within 50km of a sheep.

[kinger]

Driving as you have described would get anybody pulled over....If at the time they get seen by a cop..

If only that happened more SD.
The downside I saw in UK before we moved over, is that the reliance on cameras pretty much always resulted in Patrol officers being taken off traffic duty.
Not a great thought when the unlicenced/unqualified/false plated/drunk drivers realise this is happening.
I'd rather have a person with discretion to bollock me rather than a computer throwing me off the road.

Average speed cameras were a reasonable idea on the coned roadwork sections of UK major routes with workers between lines of traffic, but the Desert Road.....

[avgas]

$20 says I can get the highest score on it.

[swbarnett]

yeah but laws are needed because not everybody has respect for others, ted bundy, the mansons, E.T.C,

Unfortunately you are right. We do not live in a perfect world where we all treat each other with respect.

This does not, however, mean that all laws are fair and reasonable.

in their minds they wern't doing anything wrong, and the law just got in their way

The trick is that these people did not treat others with respect and consideration. I wonder how they would've reacted if someone tried to inact the same crime on them?

The trick is to act in such a way that if the situation were reversed you would have no problem with someone behaving in exactly the same manner.

[scumdog]

The trick is that these people did not treat others with respect and consideration. I wonder how they would've reacted if someone tried to inact the same crime on them?

The trick is to act in such a way that if the situation were reversed you would have no problem with someone behaving in exactly the same manner.

See my post #33 that says just about the same...!

[Big Dave]

Average cameras sound very ordinary.

[Coldrider]

Speed camera hat of donations hasn't been waved in front of me yet, maybe I'm behind on technological advances, not.

[swbarnett]

See my post #33 that says just about the same...!

Indeed it does, from a different angle.

[JohnR]

On 4 separate occasions I have received "invoices" for allegedly traveling on the Northern Toll Road
On each occasion my car was nowhere near NTR, one time we were actually in Australia!

Expaination..."Sorry, the computer read the photo incorrectly."

Hope they use better technology than that.