More speed cameras nationwide

NZTA has announced plans to install a further 35 static speed cameras nationwide as part of the Static Camera Expansion Programme. A meeting, to be held on January 18 at the New Zealand Police College in Porirua, will open the tender process, with completion dates and camera locations yet to be revealed. The most active static speed cameras are both in the Wellington region. The first is on Whitford Brown Ave in Porirua issued more than 15,000 tickets, and $1.14 million in fines since its installation in 2014, and Ngauranga Gorge on State Highway 1 issued 14,200 tickets and $1.07 million in fines over the same period. Spokesmen for the programme would not comment on further Wellington camera installations. AA spokesman Dylan Thomsen argued that ticketing speeding drivers should be part of a wider plan to target road safety. “If you have locations that are issuing a lot of tickets, then you need to look at other measures that might be needed," he told the Dominion Post. “The end result is that we want to see very few people getting tickets, because they're all doing safe speeds in those high-risk areas.” The AA called for signs on all fixed speed camera sites in order to encourage drivers to slow down in dangerous areas, and for all camera sites to be reviewed annually to assess their effectiveness. Despite public opposition, NZTA and Police argue that static cameras are highly effective. Their studies found a 23 per cent reduction in fatal and serious crashes at urban sites and an 11 per cent reduction at rural sites when fixed speed cameras were first introduced on New Zealand roads. Current static camera sites are available to view on the New Zealand Police website.