Barton Highway Speed Cameras

Despite what is commonly thought, Safe-T-Cam takes pictures of all vehicles.

A murder conviction in Canberra probably 5 or 6 years ago was aided when it was proven that the murderer’s car had passed through the Safe-T-Cam at Marulan and passed back hours later, contrary to the denials of the accused that he had left Sydney that day.

The point-to-point cameras are in Victoria on the Hume near Craigieburn on the new bypass – there are 4 cameras at each location that take front and rear numberplate shots of both lanes, then a distance later anotehr set are snapped. They work – my cousin was pinged earlier this year…

bd84, A “sensor” senses things, and a “censor” cuts the good bits out of dirty movies.

Crossing over to the other side of the road would be a neat trick given that many of them are on dual carriageway sections. And I’m highly dubious of the “turning off the headlights” claim. Also, the “safe-t-cam” thing advertises itself as “combating speed and fatigue” so I think the earlier poster was right to claim that it does distance-over-time speed calculations.

BenMac said :

I think you will find that those camera’s operate over a time distance equation. (So I’ve been told anyway)

IE; time travelled over a certain period over a certain time equals a speed.

Basically if your doing 120kph before the camera and hit the brakes as your passing it, it’s going to register that you were speeding.

I also heard that these cameras, and the ones on the Tuggeranong Parkway were these types of cameras, but the way I read that they work is:

If you pass through 1 camera (ie Barton Hwy southbound next to Gold Creek) at the speed limit, nothing will happen. But, if you then speed the entire way to the next camera (near overpass at Barton Hwy and Gungahlin Dr) and slow down through the 2nd camera, it will fine you.

Why?

Because when you pass through the 1st camera, it’ll take your picture reguardless. Then when you pass through the 2nd camera, it will take your picture again. It will then read your number plate, and calculate the time it took you to pass through both cameras. If your time is quicker than the time set by the camera (time it would take at speed) then you will be fined because it knew that somewhere along your trip, you sped.

Therefore, don’t speed between 2 speed cameras.

They’re not that kind of camera, the only difference between the cameras is some are censors in the road and others are infrared censors. I think you will find the Parkway Cameras are a good example where the ones near Cotter Rd are road censores (you can see the censors on the road similar to traffic light censors) and the ones near Hindmarsh Drive that have been sitting complete for almost 2 months have no road markings so they will be the infrared censors.

The only point to point cameras in Australia are in Victoria and live on the new section of the Hume Freeway just as you get into the outskirts of Melbourne and on an almost totally flat section of road as from their testing found that they were hard to accurately calibrate.

As for the safety cam on the major highways, they record numberplates of heavy vehicles at multiple points to stop drivers driving for extremely long periods of time i.e. 24 hours straight and they don’t actually act as speed cameras. From what i’ve heard the drivers enjoy avoiding them by turning headlights off or crossing over to the other side of the road.

GungahlinGrrl ?- as smeeagain suggested get your speedo checked. Have you got new/different tyres or upgraded to mag wheels on your car? A different tyre/wheel size can make your speedo read incorrectly ie you think you’re doing 100km/h but in actual fact you might be doing 110km/h.

I believe there is an “unofficial” ~10% tolerance with the speed cameras. I know I’ve passed the one on the Tuggeranong Parkway while not concentrating at approx 110km/h one day and never received a fine.

I certainly haven’t. And I haven’t been caught by a camera, either. Thus, it would appear that cameras catch the occasional brain-fader, but do nothing to stop those choose to drive a few km/h above the speed limit.

/cue Woody M-C whinging about me…

“We are not habitual speeders”

Have you guys thought of, you know, NOT speeding at all?

The speed vans are another matter, but would you expect any less from the ACT “snake-in-the-grass” police?

H1NG0, these cameras are operated by the ACT Government. Nothing to do with the Police.

I think you will find that those camera’s operate over a time distance equation. (So I’ve been told anyway)

IE; time travelled over a certain period over a certain time equals a speed.

Basically if your doing 120kph before the camera and hit the brakes as your passing it, it’s going to register that you were speeding.

I also heard that these cameras, and the ones on the Tuggeranong Parkway were these types of cameras, but the way I read that they work is:

If you pass through 1 camera (ie Barton Hwy southbound next to Gold Creek) at the speed limit, nothing will happen. But, if you then speed the entire way to the next camera (near overpass at Barton Hwy and Gungahlin Dr) and slow down through the 2nd camera, it will fine you.

Why?

Because when you pass through the 1st camera, it’ll take your picture reguardless. Then when you pass through the 2nd camera, it will take your picture again. It will then read your number plate, and calculate the time it took you to pass through both cameras. If your time is quicker than the time set by the camera (time it would take at speed) then you will be fined because it knew that somewhere along your trip, you sped.

Therefore, don’t speed between 2 speed cameras.

Total brainfade recently resulted in the dreaded speed camera fine. The notice advised that a copy of the photograph could be viewed at Dickson,or a copy of the image would be forwarded on receipt of a written request from the registered owner. No fee is involved.

I requested via e-mail, and received a print of the photo in a couple of days. I was advised that an additional 15 days for payment was allowed.

Gungahlin Al said :

But Granny, Minister Hargreaves says that school zones in ACT are different, and therefore don’t need things like flashing lights and stuff.

Hargreavian logic is obviously even worse than the Stanhopian variety (logicalis minimus) …

*chuckle*