Do drivers ever need to speed to overtake? Debate rages over NSW trial of point-to-point cameras

The NSW Government is set to go ahead with a trial of average speed cameras in regional areas, despite protests from a prominent politician who argued drivers might need to speed to “safely” overtake other vehicles on the road.

Under the trial, a pair of cameras will be installed at two points on the Hume and Pacific highways. The aim is to track a vehicle’s average speed over a long distance, with drivers to be fined if their average speed between the points exceeds the limit.

NSW Nationals leader Dugald Saunders has described the initiative as “revenue raising”. He was questioned by Bathurst radio host Janeen Hosemans, who asked him: “If people are speeding … shouldn’t they be fined?”.

“Yeah. But for example, if you’re looking at an average speed camera, and say, I’m coming up behind you, Janeen, and you’re doing, you know, 98 in a 100 zone. And I have to accelerate to say 110 to get around you. And then, I’ve sort of slowly bring that back down. And I do that two or three times in the space of 20 or 30 kms between those average speed cameras. If I’m doing it safely and making sure that I’m not slowing down too quickly, back to the speed limit to get too close to you, then what will that mean?” Mr Saunders responded.

According to NSW legislation, there are no exceptions to having to abide by speed limits. Service NSW guidelines state drivers must “stay under the speed limit” even when overtaking.

NSW Labor MP Stephen Lawrence criticised Mr Saunders’ comments.

“The evidence is clear, speeding even by small amounts is dangerous and increases the risk of crashes and fatalities. To hear Dugald Saunders encouraging community members to ‘safely’ speed by up to 10 km/h was bad enough, to then hear the suggestion they could safely do so three times in a 20 km trip, was simply extraordinary. Dugald Saunders needs to retract these idiotic and irresponsible statements,” Mr Lawrence said.

Asked to respond to this criticism, Mr Saunders said: “Every life lost on our roads is one too many and the NSW Nationals will always support genuine investment in road safety measures.

“Average speed cameras were set up specifically for heavy vehicles, and the sites were selected based on heavy vehicle data, so any suggestion a change to also target light vehicles will suddenly improve road safety is farcical.

“Most of the state’s average speed cameras are in the regions, which begs the question why our country communities are paying for toll relief and metro blowouts in Sydney.

“I have also questioned the tolerance these cameras will have in regard to safely overtaking slower vehicles on a journey between two cameras, and there is concern about how that will be accumulated if for example a driver did that a few times.”

A recent online Region poll responded to by more than 2000 readers found a majority supported Mr Saunders’ point of view on this matter – 84 per cent describing average speed cameras as “revenue raising” and only 11 per cent calling it a “good initiative to improve road safety”.

Outgoing Griffith councillor and traffic guru Simon Croce also criticised the trial.

“It’s Big Brother. I’m really against this stuff. It won’t be long before you go to visit someone on the coast and you’ll get a letter in the mail saying, ‘We know when you left home, we know when you got there, here is your fine’. It’s not speed that kills, it’s inappropriate speed that kills. There’s a need to provide roads that are safe,” he said.

Wagga-based MP Wes Fang has also raised his objections, saying such measures will disproportionally hurt rural drivers, who “spend more time on the roads, drive greater distances and are impacted more by these policy changes”. He has criticised his Liberal Party coalition colleagues for not supporting the Nationals’ opposition to point-to-point cameras.

Nevertheless, Regional Transport Minister Jenny Aitchinson reiterated her desire to pursue the trial in NSW Parliament on Tuesday (17 September).

“We know that every single dollar out of these speed cameras or any sort of enforcement goes back into the Centre for Road Safety. That is what funds the $200 million worth of upgrades for road safety … Labor is the party of the bush. We are saving lives in the bush and we will continue to do that, despite members opposite,” she said.

The NSW Government plans to trial its scheme on the Pacific Highway between Kew and Lake Innes, and on the Hume Highway between Coolac and Gundagai. Legislation will need to be passed in both houses of parliament before it commences.

Original Article published by Oliver Jacques on Region Riverina.