SMILE, CAMERAS NAIL LEADFOOTS
SPEEDING motorists have been caught by unmanned speed traps going more than double the limit on Townsville roads, with police labelling the behaviour “pure stupidity”.
Exclusive data obtained by the Bulletin has revealed Townsville district’s top 10 most active mobile speed cameras, with No. 1 already raking in more than $ 250,000 worth of fines this year.
The unmanned speed camera on Ingham Rd in Bohle has handed out 1349 fines as of the end of August, nearly one fine for every two minutes it was active, and more than twice as many as the one on Bundock St, Belgian Gardens, with 636 fines.
The other top- ranking mobile speed cameras in Townsville are located on; Saunders St, Railway Estate: Bayswater Rd, Garbutt; Halifax Rd, Ingham; Woolcock St, Currajong; Ross River Rd, Thuringowa Central; Ross River Rd, Aitkenvale; Hudson St, Kirwan and Eighth Ave, Home Hill
Townsville’s Road Policing Command officer- incharge Senior Sergeant Brendan White said one motorist was going so fast on Bamford Lane, Kirwan in November the winds from the speeding car rocked the mobile speed camera from side- to- side.
He said the driver had allegedly been going 148km/ h in a 60km/ h zone about 6.30pm on November 15.
“Very shortly after it was on very heavy brakes because there was a car travelling ahead of it doing the speed limit,” Sgt White said. “It’s just totally irresponsible, I wouldn’t have an answer as to why someone would do something so stupid.
“If that person hadn’t slowed down fast enough, imagine someone hitting you at double the speed limit from behind.
“The chances of surviving that kind of crash would be fairly minimal.”
Driver behaviour has come under the spotlight in recent weeks as the Townsville Bulletin, together with its sister papers across the state, join forces in a bid to end the startling number of deaths that occur on Queensland’s roads each year.
Townsville’s top 10 most active mobile speed cameras have raked in $ 950,958 worth of fines as of August this year.
“It’s a volunteer basis only; if you don’t want to give money to the Government, don’t speed,” Sgt White said. “Police aren’t making them speed; the driver is making that decision themselves.
“But unfortunately the other consequences are perhaps serious injury or death to innocent people as a result of their irresponsible behaviour.”
Last year Townsville district’s top 10 unmanned cameras handed out $ 1.4 million in fines, up from $ 1.3 million the year before.
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