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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 7 Hansard (1 July) . . Page.. 1951 ..

MR SMYTH

The Motor Traffic (Amendment) Bill (No #) 1999 proposes the introduction of speed and red light cameras in the ACT.

In 1997, there were 7,963 crashes in the ACT, costing the community an estimated $177.0 million. Lets just think about that figure for a moment, $177.0 million. It represents about $500 dollars for every Canberran, and this Government is committed to reducing this staggering cost to the community. The crashes that cost the ACT community $177.0 million, involved 15,108 vehicles and resulted in 733 casualties. This included 17 fatalities and 222 people that were admitted to hospital. The introduction of camera enforcement offers us a significant chance to reduce this level of road trauma.

Speed Cameras

I will now outline why we should introduce speed cameras into the ACT.

The ACT has a very good system of roads. In fact, its road system is unique in Australia. Its parkways and arterial roads offer high standard roads that are relatively free of traffic congestion. These long, wide and clear roads encourage higher than desirable speeds. Speeds which are a major factor in a lot of crashes.

The fact that Canberra drivers speed is well documented. A recent Urban Services traffic survey indicated a high proportion of drivers regularly exceed speed limits by more than 10 km/h.

A study of 61 serious crashes in the ACT in 1995 by Jamieson Foley & Associates recommended the introduction of speed cameras as a countermeasure to speed. The study found that speeding was a factor in 50% of the crashes.

Speed camera programs have been introduced in all Australian jurisdictions except the ACT. When they were introduced elsewhere the number of crashes dropped by about 20% Of course, this means a big reduction in road trauma and the costs of road trauma. Less people end up in hospital, less property damage, and less insurance and compensation payments. And most importantly, there is less personal tragedy in our community.

In Tasmania the introduction of speed cameras resulted in a 50% reduction in fatalities in the first three years of operation.

The introduction of speed cameras also results in a big decrease in the number of vehicles exceeding the speed limit. A recent West Australian Police Department study reported a reduction of 47% in motorists exceeding the speed limit.

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