Cost of speeding spirals up
Speeding motorists snapped by cameras in South Canterbury have been fined at least $1.54 million in the past five years.
Mid-South Canterbury police area commander Inspector Dave Gaskin said more fines had been generated in some years compared with others, as police deployed mobile speed cameras in ‘‘at risk’’ locations.
Fixed and mobile safe speed cameras snapped 11,882 speeding motorists in 2018 – over 6000 more than in 2013.
Of those tickets, 6287 were for motorists caught by a fixed speed camera at Arowhenua, which started work last May.
Police figures, obtained under the Official Information Act, show that from January 1 2013, to September 30, 2018, 51,516 tickets were generated by cameras in South Canterbury – an average of about 25 a day.
That figure equates to at least $1.55 million in fines as in New Zealand speeding fines increase progressively from $30 for speeds less than 10kmh over the limit, to a maximum fine of $630 for speeds up to 50kmh over the limit.
The figures also show three vehicles were snapped by the Temuka speed camera travelling at least 50kmh over the 80kmh speed limit in 2018. They also show four were snapped travelling between 126kmh and 130kmh, seven between 121kmh and 125kmh, 23 between 116kmh and 120kmh, 72 between 111kmh and 115kmh, and 173 between 106kmh and 110kmh.
Travelling more than 40kmh above the speed limit, a motorist can also face a 28-day licence suspension and at more than 50kmh over the limit could be charged with careless, dangerous or reckless driving.
A mobile speed camera on Craigie Ave (SH1), in Timaru, has caught 3537 speeding drivers between 2013 and September 30 2018. Another mobile camera, on King St (also SH1), in Timaru, caught 5852 drivers during the same time period.
Mobile speed camera sites in South Canterbury between 2013 and September 2018: Burkes Pass (SH8, 100kmh zone) 87 tickets; Cricklewood (Fairlie, SH8 100kmh zone) 11 tickets; School Rd (Fairlie, 50kmh zone) 57 tickets; Fairlie (SH8, 60kmh zone) 2159 tickets; Mt Michael (Fairlie, SH79 100kmh zone) five tickets; Cox St (Geraldine, 50kmh zone) 1330 tickets; McKenzie St (Geraldine, 50kmh zone) 214 tickets; Geraldine (SH79, 50kmh zone) 1131 tickets; Rangitata (SH79, 100kmh zone) 1243 tickets; Rangitata (SH1, 100kmh zone) 1205 tickets; Lake Tekapo (SH8, 100kmh zone) 579 tickets; Halstead Rd (Pleasant Point, 50kmh zone) 273 tickets; Pleasant Point (SH8, 50kmh zone) 324 tickets; Otaio (SH1,100 kmh zone) 2090 tickets; St Andrews (SH1, 70kmh zone) 874 tickets; Seadown (Temuka, SH1 100kmh zone) 272 tickets; Richard Pearse Dr (Temuka, 50kmh zone) 611 tickets; King St (Temuka, SH1 50kmh zone) 4467 tickets; Winchester (SH1, 50kmh zone) 1000 tickets; Selwyn St (Marchwiel, Timaru 50kmh zone) 755 tickets; Scarborough (Timaru, SH1 100kmh zone) 273 tickets; Evans St (Timaru, SH1 50kmh zone) 388 tickets; Gleniti Rd (Timaru, 50kmh zone) 2848 tickets; Grants Rd (Timaru, 50kmh zone) 90 tickets; King St (SH1, Timaru 50kmh zone) 5852 tickets; North St (Timaru, 50kmh zone) 448 tickets; Pages Rd (Timaru, 50kmh zone) 1222 tickets; Craigie Ave (SH1, Timaru 50kmh zone) 3537 tickets; Morgans Rd (Timaru, 50kmh zone) 578 tickets; Washdyke (SH8, 70kmh zone) 196 tickets; Makikihi (SH1, 70kmh zone) 47 tickets; Studholme (Waimate, SH1 100kmh) 39 tickets; Waihoa Forks (Waimate, SH82 100kmh zone) one ticket; Parsonage Rd (Waimate, 50kmh zone) 328 tickets.