St Helena speed camera’s accuracy to be checked
Following numerous complaints about the alleged inaccuracy of the St Helena speed camera, Ballina MP Don Page has confirmed that he has contacted the Minister for Roads’ office.
The Minister’s office has confirmed that the checking of the accuracy of the speed camera will be ‘expedited’.
“Many of the people who have contacted my office have been booked more than once with this camera and insist that they were not breaking the speed limit,” Mr Page said.
Mr Page called on the RTA to conduct the accuracy test as soon as possible.
Do you have a complaint about the St Helena speed camera? If so, let Ballina Info know and we’ll pass your complaint on to Mr Page.
July 24th, 2007 at 8:42 pm
I was pinged at the St Helena camera in late May. I know that I was not doing the speed that they said I was doing. I mean, there was a speed camera, ther were signs, there is that speed indicator as you come down the hill… I don’t have a lot of money - I don’t speed as a rule. When I heard that there was an uproar, I was very happy. I find that where the camera is happens to be very difficult anyway - going downhill, foot on the brake - car and gravity pulling - it is a very bad location. There is too much going on with signs and traffic and cameras in the first place. But my bottom line is that I KNOW I was not speeding at the rate that they said I was.
July 25th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
I was issued a penality notice in May for speeding whilst heading south up St. Helena. I foolishly paid this fine even though I do not believe I was traveling at 71Km/h in a 60 zone. I am a experienced, competent and cautious driver with a good driving record.
I am not surprised that the accuracy of the speed camera on St. Helena is in question, nor am I surprised unfortunately with the RTAs arrogance, hindering reconcilliation . I can only hope that pressure from the community can force the RTAs error in this case to be resolved.
July 26th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
I just received my SECOND notice of infringement from the same camera. I don’t drive there often but I am acutely aware of it and take great care to stay slow and careful, keeping at 60 until the speed signs indicate 100. I KNOW that I was not going 79 km/h - I am livid.
I have been driving for 30 years and practice careful defensive driving. I am not a hoon nor do I endeavour to get anywhere at breakneck speed.
I cannot fathom how this has happened UNLESS the camera is wrong. I take such care…
July 30th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
I travel past this speed camera four days aweek with my job and was booked for 20 kms over the limit when doing 60 kms cost $231.00. I know it is their and always follow the road rules. Have not had aspeeding find in 30 years of driving.
July 31st, 2007 at 6:09 pm
I have had 2 speeding fines for that area…Im aware of the limit as Ive grown up there and often visit…One such fine was when i came down for work.My car is not very big and i was carrying a trailer with 1 meter of soil in it. This is impossible to take up a hill such as that at the speeds ive been accused of..I often need 2nd or 3rd gear.I know I wasnt speeding and am outraged at the length I have to go to to prove this…
August 1st, 2007 at 10:58 am
[...] to tell us about how they were fined for speeding at St Helena, where it is claimed that the speed camera is [...]
August 13th, 2007 at 10:12 am
We were driving back from Sydney to Qld on the long weekend. My mate was following and due to his ute being very old we stayed well under the speed limited the whole way, not to mention that it was also double demerits so we were also very aware of that. Both my mate and I were booked. Me at 75Km and my mate at 82km even though he was behind me going slower he was still booked at a higher speed. We know we weren’t speeding. My mates ute is lucky to get 90km on a flat road let alone 82km up a hill.
October 4th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
My Mother was just issued with a fine for this camera. We have lived in the area all our lives, I am now 22 years old. I had a very bad accident on St Helena about 2 years ago which wasn’t my fault, and from then on, and prior to it, our whole family has been very causious of that hill.
It is appauling, I cannot believe there is nothing further being done about this!
My Mum was fined for (apparently) doing 73km/hr in the 60 zone, which is outright not true.
Thankyou.
Kristy
October 18th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
[...] Freedom of Information Act shows the number of motorists booked on a daily basis at the Ewingsdale speed camera rose from 13 per day in October 2006 to a maximum of 129 per day in April [...]
October 19th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
This is a Hansard transcript of a speech made in State Parliament on October 18 by the Member for Ballina, in relation to the Ewingsdale speed camera:
Mr DONALD PAGE (Ballina) [5.06 p.m.]: I draw to the attention of the House my concerns about the Ewingsdale fixed speed camera located on the Pacific Highway. I have received more phone calls and correspondence from people questioning the accuracy of the speed camera than any other issue during my 19 years as the member for Ballina.
The speed limit at that camera is 60 kilometres per hour. In no way do I condone speeding, however, I believe there is a strong case that this camera was faulty earlier this year. To date I have received 546 letters from individuals involving 859 infringements dealing with infringements from 28 March 2007 to date. However, the majority of infringements that have been disputed occurred between the end of March and the middle of July.
My constituents are adamant that they were not speeding. Many of the complaints come from local residents who drive past the camera on a regular basis and who are very familiar with its location. The speed camera warning signs are very prominent. Many people who have written to me after receiving infringement notices have excellent driving records: they have never had a speeding offence before.
Some of the alleged offenders had witnesses in their car who attested to the fact that the driver was not speeding. The drivers and witnesses say they had their speed confirmed at the time by a roadside monitor at the southern approach to the camera giving a readout of the speed of each passing motorist.
I have made hundreds of representations to the Government regarding this matter, but the Government’s response has been to rule out any question of the camera’s accuracy. I am not satisfied with that response. The thing that convinces me that the camera was not accurate is information I have now obtained from the Office of State Revenue under freedom of information legislation. According to that information the average number of offences in the three days between 16 October and 18 October 2006 was 13. That number spiked to 906 offences recorded in the week between 25 April and 1 May 2007, or 129 per day. The average number of infringements issued per day between 28 March and 24 July, the period when the camera’s accuracy is being questioned, was 97. There is a huge difference between 13 offences a day in October 2006 and 97 offences a day on average throughout the questionable period.
The Ewingsdale camera operates in two directions. It became operational in the southbound direction on 22 September 2006 and in the northbound direction on 29 March 2007. Some people might think that this two-way camera explains the increase, but one would have expected a twofold increase in infringements, not an eightfold to tenfold increase. Despite the fact that this camera was operational in both directions for only a quarter of last financial year, it was ranked number eight in the State’s top money-earning fixed-speed cameras, raising $1.1 million in revenue for the State Government.
While this camera has proved to be extremely lucrative for the Government, it is causing a great deal of hardship for many of my constituents. I have a number of examples of people who have lost or will lose their licences, and who have lost or will lose their jobs as a result of losing their licences, and who have others who depend on them for transport to vital services.
One young fellow who is employed full-time as a tradesperson has a young family whose sole source of support is his income. He stands to lose his licence. From 25 May to 18 June he received four infringement notices. His employers told him that he would lose his job if he lost his licence. He is adamant that he did not speed above the allowed 60 kilometres an hour on any occasion.
Between 20 April and 21 May — a one-month period — another lady was issued with 15 penalty notices and the total of her fines comes to $1617. Not only will she lose her licence but the cost of the fines will cause her financial hardship.
Another lady, this time a single mother who lives out of town, received 11 penalty notices between 16 April and 31 May. She lives in an area with no public transport and will now be completely isolated with her children. These people and others knew that the camera was there so it simply does not make sense that one of them would speed past a camera 15 times in one month.
Many locals are planning a protest to express their anger and some are challenging the fines in court. However, a large number do not have the financial resources or ability to take time off work or to take court action.
I am extremely unhappy with this situation. In light of the abnormally high number of infringements, around 97 per day in the late March to mid-July period compared to an average 12 per day normally, and based on the information that I received from the Office of State Revenue under freedom of information, I call on the Minister for Roads and the Treasurer to place a moratorium on the payment of infringement notices for three months. That will enable constituents to gather together evidence and facts and to challenge the accuracy of the camera in court.
A moratorium will also give the Government an opportunity to reconsider the issue in light of the information I placed before the House today.
Finally, I note that there are precedents for inaccurate cameras in this State, and this Ewingsdale camera appears to be the latest case in point. This is a serious issue for my constituents. They stand to lose their licences and their jobs. I believe the evidence is fairly compelling that the abnormally large number of infringement notices issued — 97 a day compared to 12 normally — indicates that there is a problem with the camera.
October 19th, 2007 at 5:49 pm
[...] To read the full text of Mr Page’s speech and for more comments on the speed camera issue, click here. [...]
July 14th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Just another person that has been fined for allegedly exceeding the limit along this stretch of the road. As appears to be the case I am acutely aware of the location of the camera. I often travel to Maclean to visit my parents and I utilise my cruise control after having been fined a couple of years ago in a similar scenario. What gets me is the 27 kmh over the limit because even if I was accelerating for a moment to pass a car of something similar I would not exceed the limit by this much as it is simply to risky and expensive.
July 14th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
On my last infringement, I was booked going 87. I was the lead car in a caravan of six, chosen because I am the mum, the responsible one. Because of the uproar that was created by hundreds of angry voices, I made certain to stay under the speed limit. I had my 10 year old sitting in his seat in back, eyes on the speedometer just in case. He took his job very seriously. We both know from the bottoms of our hearts, that I was doing the speed limit. I can’t afford these tickets (this was the second in two weeks) and was forced to pay by direct debit, adding an additional $50 to the total (per ticket). This is literally highway robbery and it affects the less-affluent hardest. I am currently paying it all off and I will no longer take that scenic St Helena hill. Although the last time I did drive there as a passenger, I noticed all of the windows were smashed. I thought that it probably done by other irate non-speeders who have been tangled in the RTA squeeze.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:56 am
I am a local and am also aware that there is fixed speed camera at St Helena on the Pacific Highway. I was driving south on the 10th July 08 and was booked by the speed camera apparently going 98km over the speed limit. This is absolutely ridiculous as i drive a four cylinder toyota camry wagon which cant even get to 80km up a hill let alone 100km. I have been hit with a fine of $621.00 and a three month licence suspension, just before my rego is due. I dont even know im going to pay for this. I think the RTA is a disgrace and i agree with Barbara that it is Highway robbery. Where does all the money go. It certainly doesnt go back into the regions roads, It must be to fund more speed camera’s and achieve a higher revenue.
August 23rd, 2008 at 5:48 pm
The camera at St Helena has booked me 3 times and I drive like a pension and now I refuse to go pass it .I am going to court on the 11 September at Mullumbimby. I am very cross re this unjust camera booking innocent people. We must fight for justice. Kathy Hill
August 28th, 2008 at 9:11 am
I am in court today for a mention for an event back in January 2008. They claim I was doing 79 in the 60km zone. I came down the hill in 2nd gear as my friend heard the engine roar and us staying at 60km/hr. Trial at a later date? What do we do to get the truth of the inaccurate camera exposed?
David