Northland’s $2m speed camera
Single camera at Kauri snaps 24,328 speed offences
ANorthland fixed speed camera has given out more tickets than any other fixed camera in the country in the first half of the year, bringing in a total of $2.6 million in fines.
The camera, on State Highway 1 near Kauri between Saleyards and Snake Hill Rds, snapped 24,328 speed offences and brought in $2,603,420 in fines between January and June this year.
That’s an average of 4054 speeding drivers clocked and $433,903.33 in fines collected every month, or 134 fines worth $14,383 issued every day.
The information was revealed in road policing driver offence data for January 2009 to June 2018 released this month.
The next highest was $1.8m from a fixed camera on Rata St in Auckland’s New Lynn and $1.7m from a camera north of Auckland’s Waterview Tunnel for the southbound lanes.
The camera in Kauri monitors a stretch of highway which has an 80km/h speed limit.
NZ Transport Agency reduced the speed to 80km/h from Kauri to Springs Flat in April 2015 to cut the number of high severity speed-related crashes.
William Hau was stung by the speed camera at Kauri three times in one weekend, and has a message for other motorists.
“Don’t get complacent with your driving and pay attention to all signs on the road.”
He said the signs are put up for a reason and people can’t really complain.
“If the sign’s there that says slow down, you’ve got to slow down.”
The Kerikeri man was helping his sister move from Whanga¯rei to Kerikeri one weekend in April. He said he got two tickets on the Saturday and one on Sunday.
A couple of weeks later the first one arrived in the mail, a few days later another one, and a few days after that the
If the sign’s there that says slow down, you’ve got to slow down.
William Hau, motorist
final one. “The third one, it was just unbelievable.”
He said he didn’t know the camera was there, and got three tickets totalling $280 for speeds in the mid to low 90s.
Hau, who was driving a 4x4 and towing a trailer at time, said he has learned his lesson.
“I’ve been through there a few times since and I’m careful now.”
Senior Sergeant Ian Row of Northland road policing said he was not surprised by the figures for the Kauri speed camera.
He said before the speed camera was installed and changes were made to the road layout, the area was a “high-risk crash zone”.
Between 2008 and
2012 there were 40 crashes of which 24 per cent involved excess speed, Row said.
That compared with a national average for the type of state highway of 13 per cent.
“Our hope is with the speed camera and the changes to the intersection at Apotu Rd and Saleyards Rd we will continue to see a downward trend of crashes in that area.” Anecdotally, he said, there have been fewer crashes in that area since the speed camera was installed at the end of last year.
“This is why those measures were put in place. It’s achieving exactly what we thought it would, less harm to the community.”
Row’s response to those who might say the speed camera was just revenue collecting was clear: “We don’t want your money, obey the speed limit.”
Row said money was a way to make people take notice.
“What we want to do is deter you from travelling in excess of the speed limit.”
He said the money goes into the Government’s consolidated fund and most officers don’t know or don’t see how much is collected.