4 October 2007

Majura Rd between Federal Highway and Fairbairn Ave

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I was driving into Canberra a couple of weeks back when I had my photo snapped by a Speed Camera Van. I thought damn, they have got my doing 7 km over the limit. Today I received the infringement notice and I was done doing 97 km/hr in a 80 zone. Hang on, when did Majura Road become a 80 zone? Was 90 the time before when I went through. How are changes in speed zones within the ACT advertised?

On a side note, I entered my first car lease plan just prior to this and the car is registered to my employer (Government Agency). The fine for being between 15 and 30 km over the speed limit is $1065. Is this because it is a company registration? This amount is obscene.

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they’ve found themselves inadvertently speeding somewhere sometime

Yep, it happened to me a few weeks back on Learmonth Drive in Kambah. I had just left a friends house, and I was driving down the hill toward Tuggeranong, when I suddenly realised I was staring down the barrel of a white van with an overpaid bureaucrat inside.

Crap, I thought, i’m doing 65 or so.

First thought: I know this is a 60 zone. It has been all my life. I should pay more attention. I was daydreaming, which is not a good state to be in, when in charge of a 2-tonne hunk of lethal metal and plastic.

Second thought: I hope I don’t get a ticket in the mail. If I do, well it’ll be a lesson to pay better attention. The lessons that really stick with you are those learned the hard way. There was no ticket, but obviously the incident stuck in my mind, as here I am recounting it now.

Third thought: What’s for lunch. Something cheap. I might have a speeding ticket to pay in a few weeks.

Woody Mann-Caruso10:18 pm 05 Oct 07

Was 90 the time before when I went through.

It’s been 80 then 90 coming from the highway for as long as I can remember, and that’s a long time.

another Greed Camera

Yay! More money for services and less money for stupid people, who’d just waste it on VB, rims and uggboots anyway.

inadvertently speeding

“Inadvertently speeding” is just a copout for “wasn’t really paying attention when I was supposed to be responsible for controlling a tonne of moving metal”. If you don’t notice signs on the side of the road with big red circles round them, what else won’t you notice?

Oh, and Sammy for Chief Minister.

Felix the Cat10:04 pm 05 Oct 07

Looks like there is another Greed Camera going up on the Federal Highway northbound between Shell Gateway servo and Anthill St roundabout. There are 2 newish signs up with black plastic covering them and another signpost with no actual sign blade yet.

Sammy

you must be taking the piss… every single driver you could ever find me if asked would have to say they’ve found themselves inadvertently speeding somewhere sometime. Anyone who says they haven’t is either untruthful or delusional.

Last time I went up to Qld I deliberately spent the whole trip concentrating on keeping 1-2km/hr below the limit all the way up all the way back. it still cost me $75.00 for a minor offence heading into a town on a dual carriageway above the 60km/hr zone. All I can think of is that a truck was in front of me and obscured the speed zone right there. Luck of the draw but it only rammed home just how unfair speed cameras are in certain situations.

Related to the Federal Highway speed zones:

The power conduit is now waiting for a couple of cameras to be installed adjacent to the Hindmarsh Drive bridge on the Monaro Highway. Southbound is 100km and Northbound is also 100km – but changes to 80km about 100m past where the camera will be located – anyone wanna place bets when the 80 signs will be moved back that 100m?

“The Government assumes that not everyone can memorise every single speed zone in the Territory, so they helpfully put signs everywhere indicating the speed. Keep a look out. They look like this.”

LOL!!! Sammy, you are pure gold!!!

None of that had occurred to me – encouraging the identification of the driver I mean. Now that I’ve been enlightened and can join the ranks of those that have a clue, it sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

That’s fantastic for sole director small business “corporations”.

As the others have said, this policy is merely an instrument used to convince businesses to identify the true driver of the vehicle. The decision is then up to the employee as to whether they want to own up and lose the points, or pay 5 times the fine.

Seems like a reasonable policy to me. Currency is an excellent motivator.

How are changes in speed zones within the ACT advertised?

The Government assumes that not everyone can memorise every single speed zone in the Territory, so they helpfully put signs everywhere indicating the speed. Keep a look out. They look like this.

I’m not entirely convinced that the standard fare “one life saved makes the entire process worth it” is a legitimate reason to maintain revenue camera’s. If I were to say to my boss, a day off would make the entire process worth it, they’d just look at me funny and tell me to get back to work.

As others said the amount is only that high when the driver is not identified as an incentive for companies to name the drivers.

If you’ve never had an infringement before you have a pretty good chance of getting it withdrawn or changed to a caution.

http://www.afp.gov.au/act/road_traffic/paying_traffic_fines#Applyforwithdrawalofthenotice

@Cameron: you can still sign the stat. dec. and take the fine personally. no one says you *have* to pay the 5x amount.

but then again, if you have 1 point left, paying 5x might be an attractive deal, if your business revolves around driving.

@Danman: hehe, it’s just like the monaro highway outside of hume (northbound). for a long long time, people would still speed up to 100 outside of hume, even though it’s been 80 for a few years now. people would come flying up my ass (that’s an odd statement out of context) and it’d give me the poos to be honest. thankfully there’s a speed camera now, so people do the opposite – the slow down to like 70. great.

Ya gotta watch out there because the van sits on the side of the road heading toward fyshwick and about 100m before it turns into a 90 zone.

Its clearly posted as an 80 – people just assume its still 90 for some reason.

The problem is its all downhill from Federal Hwy so you really have to watch the speedo – the advantage of the speedvan placement was apparent one nigth when I went past doing about 85 – its in the middle of a dark patch – hiding behind the verge so as soon as you see it, its gone.

I was certain to get a ticket – but this was 4 or so weeks ago now..

I certainly learnt my lesson, and I am sure a few people tailgating me down that strip since have breathed a sigh of relief as well when we coast past at 80 clicks.

Five times the amount huh? That’s fantastic for sole director small business “corporations”. What a crock of.

hairy nosed wombat12:32 am 05 Oct 07

that road is an 80 zone from the Federal highway until near the Mt Majura vineyard, where it becomes 90km. it drops back to a 60 zone at the other end near brand depot.
I suppose the question is, where was the revenue raising van parked?

From the Road Transport (Offences) Regulation

However, if the infringement notice offence is a camera-detected offence and the person is a corporation, the penalty payable by the person for the infringement notice offence is 5 times the amount applying to the person under subsection (1) for the offence.

You just have to sign a stat dec saying you were driving the car and they reduce fine to $210. I had the same problem with an ANU vehicle. They up it so you won’t try and avoid losing the points by registering a car in a company name, once the driver is identified they reduce it.

Must admit that I was thinking about writing a letter for those exact reasons plus the fact I haven’t had a single infringement in 17 years. I also feel I have to go back and check that it has changed to an 80 zone as it did not register with me when I went through.

I think the fine is so huge as the driver has not been named – its a govt “incentive” so they can take the points off someone.

If you write a nice polite letter explaining your confusion with the speed zones on Majura road, and the fact that you were driving a new and unfamiliar company car, you might find yourself excused. I know someone who recently wrote a polite letter to Vic Roads and got himself off not one but two speed camera fines!

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