Skip to main content

Canberra's speed cameras to be reviewed

Road safety researchers from the University of New South Wales Transport and Road Safety Research are to review Canberra's speed cameras to determine how effective they are at preventing accidents. The capital's fixed-speed cameras have come under fire since it was revealed there has been an increase in accidents at intersections where the cameras are installed. The location of point-to-point cameras has also been criticised. The territory has 33 safety cameras, made up of fixed-speed cameras, red lig
March 11, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
Road safety researchers from the University of New South Wales Transport and Road Safety Research are to review Canberra's speed cameras to determine how effective they are at preventing accidents.

The capital's fixed-speed cameras have come under fire since it was revealed there has been an increase in accidents at intersections where the cameras are installed. The location of point-to-point cameras has also been criticised.

The territory has 33 safety cameras, made up of fixed-speed cameras, red light/speed cameras, mobile camera vans and two point-to-point units.

The researchers will undertake a broad evaluation of the program including its impact on crashes and speeding, as well as how it is governed. Professor Ann Williamson says the study will consider how the system can be improved.

"Our brief is to look at the effectiveness of it. Obviously the most direct effect is to slow people down and the secondary effect therefore as a result of that, is reducing crashes and injury, which of course is the ultimate aim," she said.

"We will look at where they're deployed and whether the ACT is getting the most effective use out of the technology."

Attorney-General Simon Corbell says the cameras have been in use for more than ten years and this is the first large-scale review of the system.  "As part of the evaluation, the University of New South Wales will review existing Australian and international research as well as evaluations of other road safety camera programs to assist in identifying opportunities for improved strategic and operational management of the ACT program," he said.

Related Content

  • Putting the brakes on smart motorways
    February 28, 2022
    The UK government has announced that development of its all-lane running highways is going to be put on hold for another few years to assess safety data. Adam Hill finds out why
  • Georgia DoT showcases its connectivity
    March 3, 2020
    Georgia DoT’s regional connected vehicle programme could be a model for the rest of the US. Adam Hill speaks to two men involved in making it a reality – and takes a look at the state’s first-ever Tech Showcase
  • Idris paves the way for loop based speed enforcement
    February 1, 2012
    With the Idris system now validated as a speed verification tool, the way is open for loops to be used in more complex enforcement applications. Diamond Consulting Services (DCS), developer of the Idris inductive loop-based vehicle detection and classification system, has recently successfully conducted validation trials which, the company says, open the way for Idris to be used for speed verification and loop-based sensors to be used for more complex applications such as speed-on-green and differential spe
  • New Zealand seeks comprehensive CBA framework
    October 5, 2016
    New report highlights how assessing the financial benefit of deploying ITS is an involved and evolving calculation Following a global search, five key action areas have emerged from the New Zealand Transport Agency’s recent scoping of a more comprehensive cost–benefit analysis framework for evaluating planned ITS deployments. A report commissioned from engineering consultancy Aecom New Zealand sets out the groundwork for more closely-defined assessments that will convincingly support public-sector policy ma