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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 8 Hansard (7 August) . . Page.. 2450 ..

Amendments agreed to.

Bill, as a whole, as amended, agreed to.

Bill, as amended, agreed to.

Road Transport (Safety and Traffic Management) Amendment Bill 2001

MR CORBELL (12.06): Mr Speaker, the Road Transport (Safety and Traffic Management) Amendment Bill 2001 deals with the implementation of speed and red light cameras as a permanent regime following the introduction of the trial a little over a year ago.

The introduction of speed and red light cameras is an important step in improving road safety and it is certainly one which I believe all members in this place support. This is a necessary step in achieving a greater level of driver awareness as it relates to their behaviour behind the wheel, and particularly the impact that speed can have on the rate of accidents in our city.

That is not to say that the Labor Party has not raised a number of concerns about the implementation of the current regime-not the introduction per se of speed and red light cameras but the way in which they have been implemented. Indeed, on a number of occasions the Labor opposition has raised the appropriateness of signage in some locations, or the lack thereof. But speed and red light cameras, particularly red light cameras, do play an important role.

We believe that the trial over the past year or so has been both necessary and valuable. In fact, from the Labor Party's perspective, red light cameras have been a most welcome initiative because drivers have become more aware of the extremely dangerous accidents that can occur when they refuse to obey the traffic signal and enter an intersection.

Mr Speaker, the incidence of accidents at intersections is of particular concern. All too frequently in this city we see the impact, literally, of drivers who choose to run red lights. This behaviour must be addressed. It can now start to be addressed through the introduction of a permanent regime of red light cameras in the city.

Mr Speaker, I am sure that my colleague Mr Hargreaves and other members will want to speak on this bill, so I will conclude my comments. I know that Mr Hargreaves will want to raise particular concerns about the implementation of speed and red light cameras rather than the principle of having them in place in this city. The Labor Party will in principle be supporting this legislation.

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