Speed Cameras in WA

[2nd Hand Yank]

I've been here since Feb 2011 and at first it seemed WA had only a few, but now I'm starting to see them almost everywhere. I've been flashed a few times and had one ticket mailed to me, though I believe I was never driving recklessly, just matching the current road conditions.

I've seen on websites that talk about them, saying the new govt. in WA is short on cash, under funding for the police dept, so speed cameras are supposed to be there to compensate, even raise revenue...

Where I'm from, none of this is true.
We don't have underfunded, cut-backed police funds, or speed cameras.
We have redlight cameras (which I agree with) but even they are scarce in my home province.
What we DO have is police physically out there on patrol, FOLLOWING traffic,
pulling drivers over they find driving unacceptably, talking to the motorists
and THEN deciding whether or not to issue a ticket.

Today I was flashed for approaching a roundabout from 20 m away at maybe 45 km/h
and perhaps 3-4 km/h faster than the motorists in front of me. (decelerating analog gauge, hard to tell)
I drive with a TomTom GPS with traffic camera alert service,
and lately it's alerting me less than 50% of the time.
(most of the time I see them, I do not get flashed, as coincidentally I might be at a speed that makes the cameras happy)

Almost makes me want to sell my car
if anytime my car blips the speed limit I'll get flashed.

[tony]

A.don't speed. regardless of what the other traffic is doing, they are not going to pay your fines for you. look on it as voluntary taxation.
B.. the state has a debt of some billions of dollars and more to come because of the emperor's prediliction for grand monuments (like the barrack st jetty redevelopment , the new sports stadium, etc etc). why do you think they are selling off public housing and leaving thoousands of homeless children in the streets? I believe there are some 4or 5000 homeless children in perth, along with some 20,000 single parents with children , . living under bridges in cars and in derelict buildings. and the emperor criticises gillard for wanting to send a few dozen children to malaysia.
never mind, its the lucky country.

[95Liberty]

u almost have 2 stare at speedometer instead of the road nowdays

[Gannon]

There are 4 cameras in a space of about 40kms. Ive been driving for 8 years and never got a ticket. Like tony said, dont exceed the speed limit and you wont have a problem

[steptoe]

Yes, gone is the skill of a motorist trusting his geiger counter, a policeman leaving his radar on constantly - as if to give warning to those equipped. A good few years back up near Grafton , in amongst the small cane fields on the highway there was a policewoman who must have turned her radar on just to get a speed, and off again - she was plaing with my Whistler Q2000 something chronic for ages.

Get onto nextdestination in Perth and grab an alerteGPS G220 or the WiKango - you can program G220 for ones not in the system, and update the database online. The Wikango is rehargeable so no cords for up to 5 hours. Odd thing is it flashes red leds when you are overspeed and blue when you are good

[sven '2']

How can you match speed to the conditions AND exceed the limit?

They are legislated traffic rules, not guidelines or suggestions as to your speed.

On speed cameras, SA's highest revenue camera is a fixed version standing 4 meters tall, in plain sight. Is in the media every few months. You would have to question people's ability to operate a vehicle if they cannot maintain the correct speed limit in this situation.

[TOONGA]

As most West Australian speed cameras are going over or have gone over to digital (laser) GPS units don't pick them up any more. the speed camera locator app is usless out side of Perth.

I normally drive at 5KM under the speed limit now mostly to piss the tail-gating idiots behind me off, but so I don't give Mr Plod money as well.

they set up a police radar on the road into Kingston last week I waved both times as I drove through in the brumby at 50km/h. the nice lady police officer waved back as well

TOONGA

[coupe]

Im the same way Jules i drive 2km below the limit.
I love the new speed and red light cameras you get at the intersections now.
Cheers Pete

[taza]

u almost have 2 stare at speedometer instead of the road nowdays

+1

I use cruise control EVERYWHERE. Except where theres a corner or I need to slow down. I also set it to about 2km below the limit. I have had 2 tickets in the past 18months, one for just being 3km over and the other I was is a rush and had 2 points taken aswell as a nice fine

Im glad I don't have a turbo car though or anything morepowerfully than my EJ20 N/A otherwise:
A: I would be dead and wrapped around a tree
B: Lost my licence and car impounded
C: Broke due to the thousands of dollars in fines lol


Taza

[2nd Hand Yank]

I do remember that sometimes police use radar where I'm from,
and made owning a radar detector illegal.
Even if you are a visitor, using a radar detector in my province is illegal.

Exceed the limit and match conditions?

I'm still used to driving back home.
If the road is dry, almost nobody drives the precise speed limit or slower.
I would say for at least 10-20% of the year at any given time, (365 days x 24 hrs x 10-20%)
the road is not dry, but either wet from rain or iced up.
They probably made the speed limits up with inclement weather in mind.
Typical good weather driving conditions is 99% of traffic flowing 6-11 km/h
over the posted limit on 60km/h or 70km/h roads.
Less than 8km/h over is probably acceptable on 40km/h or 50 km/h roads
On our 100km/h highways, raise that again to 15-25km/h over the limit.
Police in Ontario obviously don't mind and unlike in WA,
they are not interested in nabbing as many people possible going a few km's over,
but prefer to grab people that pose a risk to other motorists.

I guess I was caught off guard that this is not the case in WA,
as just about as many people by % go 6-9 km/h over the limit here
as people would go 9-13km/h over the limit where I'm from; who seldom get pulled over in Ontario.
I was just following general traffic patterns because doing this DOES NOT yeild tickets 99.999% of the time back home.

I would estimate that police only want to ticket 1-2% of drivers for speeding where I'm from,
but it seems in WA if the police could, they'd ticket 10-20% of motorists.

[2nd Hand Yank]

+1

I use cruise control EVERYWHERE. Except where theres a corner or I need to slow down. I also set it to about 2km below the limit. I have had 2 tickets in the past 18months, one for just being 3km over and the other I was is a rush and had 2 points taken aswell as a nice fine

Im glad I don't have a turbo car though or anything morepowerfully than my EJ20 N/A otherwise:
A: I would be dead and wrapped around a tree
B: Lost my licence and car impounded
C: Broke due to the thousands of dollars in fines lol


Taza

A great idea, but mine doesn't have cruise control.

[taza]

A great idea, but mine doesn't have cruise control.

Could be time for an upgrade??? Could always get it put in

[2nd Hand Yank]

Could be time for an upgrade??? Could always get it put in

It's now looking like a very wise investment.

I have oversize tyres too, so I don't look too close at my speedo,
again I thought I'd be fine matching traffic conditions.
Would it be hard to do a speedo correction for bigger tyres?

*I do use a GPS often, and watch its speed instead when it's on.

[TOONGA]

you have to remember than most drivers in Bunbury drive at 5-10 km above the speed limit because they can.

don't bother with getting your speedo changed, just use your GPS it is way more accurate. depending on the brand it may even have an app that alerts you when you are going over the speed limit.

TOONGA

[RSR 555]

Yeah.. like most people say don't speed and you wont have to pay any money to the state govt.

I'd use the GPS to work out what speed you're really doing. I'd drive the car at 100kms (obviously on the highway that allows you to do this) according to the GPS, then make note of what the car's speedo is saying, then look at making a new dial for your cluster. I've seen many places that make aftermarket ones that you can make custom. This way you'll wont need to rely on the GPS.

[95Liberty]

I hav to be real careful , because I'm on the road something like 10 hrs each day, but I haven't got any speeding fines at work for in the last 5 years, only seem 2 happen when I'm in my car. I rarely use cruise control because I find myself having to reset it every 5 minutes exccept when I'm on the Forrest highway. Since when hav they been fining people for a couple of km over, do u get demerit points for that ?

[last celtic warrior]

If you're going to drive a vehicle on the roads here, you need to know and obey the rules. I'm hoping you don't drive on the right everywhere, since that's how you did it back home... Follow the rules and hope everyone else does too...

[steptoe]

Aha, but the GPS units are position detectors, not radar detectors, where they match your position to known sites programmed by owners of the alerteGPS anyway. You can program in any location for any reason and put it to the moderators of alertegps for safety and speed warning programming, or just keep up to 99 personal positions to alert just you.

Went through a new point to point on the highway today - a stretch one could look forward to after a long boring drive - a bit of fast twisty dual lane stuff, now no fun no more

[NachaLuva]

Personally i wouldnt have a problem with speed cameras if they were outside schools or accident black spots. But they're not! they're just a means of government revenue now

Apparently the Vic government makes about $400,000,000 per year from camera revenue! No wonder theres so many of em here.

Plus theres been no PROVEN link to show they actually reduce road fatalities. In fact they may actually increase the frequency of accidents by forcing drivers to watch their speedo instead of the road ahead.

There are several councils overseas that are actually removing speed cameras.

imho...

[Silverbullet]

There are several councils overseas that are actually removing speed cameras.

Which European country/city is it that actually has no speed limits? I'm not talking about the German Autobahn, there is actually a city where people are trusted to go the speed they think is safe. Contrary to what you might think, everybody does the right thing and accidents went down dramatically.
Not sure if that would work here though, what with commodore drivers and boy racers

My speedo consistently indicates 10 km/h above my actual speed, so indicated 60 I'm actually doing 50. Haven't gotten a ticket yet Although I do take it into account and drive at indicated 70 in 60 zones so I don't get tailgated, but people still tailgate and overtake...Dunno what their rush is we all end up stopped at the same traffic lights anyway.