Point-to point cameras. A new threat!

[Donunder]

EDIT. I'VE FOUND OUT SINCE POSTING THIS THAT THE STORY LINE IS A HOAX. MY APOLOGIES. Don.

It’s early days, but here’s a warning for anyone heading to Goulburn next year.

The M5 and M7 are now equipped with point-to point speed devices. On entering the M7, your etag beeps and your car is photographed and the exact time noted.
On exiting the motorway your etag beeps and again your car is photographed and the time noted. The computer then calculates your speed over the journey. If the speed limit is showing 100kmh (remember it can alter depending on road or weather conditions), the computer allows a tolerance of 102 kmh. If you have completed your journey too quickly you will be issued with a speeding ticket.

This system is working in both directions.

With the new legislation in force in NSW, fighting a speed camera fine is almost impossible as it is up to you to try to prove that the camera is faulty. Good luck with that!

These devices are currently being rolled out on other highways and expressways where vehicles are not able to exit between the camera locations . They are recognisable by a gantry straddling the lanes from which is suspended the camera. There is at present no legislation requiring signposting of these cameras but they are easily spotted, obviously. The danger here is that it would be easy to hang a point-to-point camera off one of the existing gantries used to monitor truck times and distances, without making it known to the general motoring public.

While there is some tolerance allowed for the point-to-point cameras on highways, it was confirmed that no such tolerance exists in school zones where 41 kmh gets you a fine. There is some thought that point-to-point cameras will likely replace existing cameras in school zones eventually.

Looks like the Queenslanders might have to revert to the traditional three day trip down to the Nats next year…. with our cruise controls working overtime!

Don.

[sambo]

We've had these cameras on the Hume Hwy in Vic for a while now.

They don't work if you're driving one of these.

[lovehamr]

My God! What do you guys have to do to reel in big brother over there? Fascist crap like that just pisses me off.

[Bob In Ct]

We should have listened to Orwell! He warned us.

Bob

[dadndave]

Has anyone been booked yet? There have been reports of this system in place ever since the M7 was completed several years ago. Similar reports of this form of detection were being used on Hume Highway and Pacific Highway. What may be giving people the wrong ideas is that the cameras installed are used to monitor heavy vehicles, not speeding cars. I have been involved in the transport industry for 8 years and have not heard of one person being booked by this method, and NSW law states that all speed cameras must be advertised ( we've all seen the signs "24 hour speed camera ahead) at least three times prior to the installed camera. There certainly isn't any of these on any part of the M7 ,and there is only speed cameras in the M5 tunnel.

[Blair]

My Cobra got booked for evading a gateway toll in Melbourne a couple of months ago. I couldn't work out how my car managed to get booked when it hadn't left the shed in 6 months? Mind you that shed is 3000km away from the tollway as well!

Melbourne tollway told me they had a picture of my number plate and car, and threatened to charge me with court costs if I did not pay the fine.

I asked for the picture of my plate to be sent to me @ my cost and guess what, I never saw or heard from them again!

[PCC]

No such cameras on the E-Toll Gantries around Brisbane as yet

I know - I built them

[Merv and Sharon]

It's coming to a place near you! We need these extra revenue raising devices our we have such low rates of taxation on cars and their use in Australia.

[PCC]

I'm paying $2,400 for my rego a year - too bloody much!

Mind you I do have three cars

The Cobra is nearly $1,000 a year now, whereas my STi is only $600.

Those extra two cylinders makes all the difference

[Donunder]

Oops, my mistake. Sorry to all NSW people.
These cameras are on the Hume apparently, but not (or should that be --not yet?) on the M7.
I saw a letter on this subject in a magazine recently and fired off a post without doing the necessary research.
I googled "NSW M7 point to point cameras", and the whole BS hoax was revealed. Let's hope it remains a hoax in those states where the relentless revenue grabbing hasn't quite reached the depths the poor Victorians have to suffer.
Apologies. Back to a two day trip to the Nats!

Don.

[dadndave]

Still you have to remember that there are 13 fixed speed cameras between Surfers and Sydney on the trip south.

[Bryan Wilson]

Got done a while back doing 69 kph in a 70 kph zone and queried the fine and it was droped. Tke csmera opperator should have twiged that something was wrong as he must have been getting every one that passed his camera. I wonder how many just payed up without thinking about the fine. Hope he got his a$$ kicked.

Here is my letter of protest, Herd nothing more about it.

To Whom It May Concern:
Re Penalty notice Obligation No 0513876043
We wish to dispute this penalty notice as no offence took place at the time date and place as listed on the penalty notice.
As we are regular travellers of this rout we are well aware of the speed limits through the town of Trafalgar in Victoria.
This is a four lane highway with two lanes going east and two lanes going west.
At 8:58am on the day in question we were travelling east towards Taralgon where the speed limits go from 110kph down to 80kph then down to 70kph then up to 90kph then back to 110kph at no time along that road through Trafalgar does the speed limit drop below 70kph in the east bound lanes.

However the speed limit does drop to 60kph through the town of Trafalgar in the westerly direction heading toward Melbourne.
Maybe your camera operator was not aware that the speed limits are different on the east and west sides of the highway.
I have videoed the road clearly showing the posted speed limit signs and will present this as evidence to the magistrate should this matter have to go to court.
Hoping this matter can be resolved without any further aggravation,
Yours truly,

Bryan Wilson

[tcrist]

Bryan,
Are you saying that you can get a ticket over there for going 1KPH "UNDER" the speed limit? Or am I missing something here.

Terry

[Plums]

Originally Posted by Bryan Wilson

Got done a while back doing 69 kph in a 70 kph zone and queried the fine and it was droped. I wonder how many just payed up without thinking about the fine.

I just want to scream!!!! You are absolutely right, there were probably hundreds of people who just paid the fine without a second thought. Perhaps they thought it said they were doing 79 in a 70 zone and just thought it was a typo.... there are lots of people out there who "wouldn't want to fuss about it" and would just pay anything....

I wonder how many hunderds of thousands of dollars the respective governments make out of these so called "mistakes"????

[gjkrv8]

I reckon I got done tonight on the way home from work. Went through an intersection (that I go through everyday by the way) and was day dreaming and I saw 2 flashes in my rear vision mirror.

I reckon 70 in a 60 zone 2 points and lots of $$. sucks. Just had to tell someone.

Rgds

Gregg

[Merv and Sharon]

I saw these number plate 'protectors' in the States' that were made from a plastic that was claimed to have a 'prismatic' design that reduced recognition of the number to only about 100 feet and not the 1000 feet needed for laser and radar and so on. This is all a mystery to me but do/could these things actually work? The more sophisticated the punishing/taxing authorities become in the use of cameras, number plate recognition, distance timing and so on, the more protective average drivers become.

Not that I would ever contemplate such and obviously illegal device!

[Bryan Wilson]

Originally Posted by tcrist

Bryan,
Are you saying that you can get a ticket over there for going 1KPH "UNDER" the speed limit? Or am I missing something here.

Terry

I was actually booked for doing 69kph in a 60kph zone but they got it wrong I was actually doing 69 in a 70kph zone because the camera operator was an idiot. He must have ran out of film early as he would have got every car that went past him.
Cheers,
Bryan

[Bryan Wilson]

Here in the land of revenue raising auto manufacturers only have to produce a speedo to an accuracy of 10% but us drivers must drive to within 3% of the speed limit now is that fair. Not to me.
Cheers,
Bryan

[Rob. Smith]

Originally Posted by Merv and Sharon

I saw these number plate 'protectors' in the States' that were made from a plastic that was claimed to have a 'prismatic' design that reduced recognition of the number to only about 100 feet and not the 1000 feet needed for laser and radar and so on. This is all a mystery to me but do/could these things actually work? The more sophisticated the punishing/taxing authorities become in the use of cameras, number plate recognition, distance timing and so on, the more protective average drivers become.

Not that I would ever contemplate such and obviously illegal device!

G'Day Merv, I think they were debunked on mythbusters along with several other types of number plate "diffusers"

[Rob. Smith]

In France they have the point to point cameras on some of the motorways but their downfall came from the fact that you could pull off the road for a rest and meal for a 1/2 hour or so.