Speed Camera Rorting Private Business Cashing In.

What is happening in Australia? Have we all gone crazy? Once upon we were a nation of pride a nation of mateship, a nation that believed in a fair go. But these days we are faced with rule after rule, don’t do this don’t do that. Don’t say this don’t say that. We are so bloody over governed it is so ridiculous we are taxed on this and taxed on that and now we are faced with another hidden tax.

“Speed Cameras” and with Victoria leading the way in of blood sucking revenue hunters setting up speed cameras on every street corner on every overpass, every bridge you name it these speed cameras are set up everywhere, one must start to question is this a total invasion of our rights and privacy.

Let’s face it no one has the right to take photos of our property or more importantly us whilst driving? My answer to this is PISS OFF big brother. When are Australians going to say enough is enough it is time we stood up and make a stand against the ripping off and rorting that is disguised under some bullshit law or by law that gets made up along the way.

In Victoria the cameras will snap you as little as 2 to 3 kilometres over the speed limit so if you are doing 103 klm in a 100 klm speed zone then you will get your fine in the mail. No buffer no way let’s just fine em because we are greedy bastards that are not concerned about safety we are only concerned about the $$$$$$$ signs and now Western Australia is privatising. I have read that they are considering an UK English based compant to run the speed cameras throughout WA. This is ridiculous when is the insanity going to end?

Macquarie bank to now profit from Mobile Speed Cameras

You have to laugh and love all the claims how traffic infringements are all about saving people from killing themselves. Oh we are doing you a favour is pushed in our faces by the Government.

Then they go and privatise speed cameras and the greediest bastards to ever set foot in Australia are now going to be stealing our hard earned dollars via big brother traffic infringements.

DRIVERS are about to be whacked by mobile speed cameras the NSW Government believes will help deliver more than $100 million in fines this financial year alone.

Macquarie Bank, dubbed “the millionaires’ factory” because of the huge salaries paid to executives, is attempting to secure a cut of the bonanza by launching a $275 million takeover bid for Redflex, the company contracted by the State Government to operate the cameras.

An initial fleet of six camera vehicles will be rolled out from July 19 at traffic black spots across NSW with plans for more next financial year. They can fine six drivers every second. Budget papers reveal that revenue from fines will almost double from $295 million in 2008-09 to $570 million in 2011-12.

“Fine revenue is estimated to increase by $137 million during 2010-11, with a mobile speed camera program and a five per cent increase in speeding fines,” the Budget says.

The NSW Government has refused to disclose how much of the $137 million increase will come from the mobile vans, but The Sunday Telegraph can reveal it could be $100 million.

The fleet of white Ford Territory vans will carry radar cameras that can catch as many as six speeding cars travelling in either direction, every second, day or night, regardless of weather conditions.

The vans also record video and have roof-mounted CCTV cameras. An initial fleet of six camera vehicles will be rolled out in eight days, with plans for more next financial year.

The NSW Government refuses to disclose how much of the revenue will go to Redflex, which also supplies fixed speed cameras, but the Victoria-based company is now the target of a takeover bid by Macquarie Bank.

The bank and two of its wholly owned subsidiaries – Macquarie Radar Holdings and Macquarie Special Situations Master Fund – bought 10 per cent of Redflex in June.

Macquarie Bank has made billions out of privatising roads and airports in NSW. Last year, the corporate giant made more than $1 billion.

Drivers will not be warned before driving into the mobile speed camera’s zone. A small sign on the vehicle reads: “Safe speed check”. Another sign placed at the roadside will inform motorists: “Your speed has been checked.”

The speed camera locations will be uploaded daily to the Roads and Traffic Authority website to encourage drivers to slow down.

Fines will also be waived for the first month of operation, with drivers receiving a warning letter, instead. How very big of them. Seriously this is far from right how can private money hungry bastards get away with this?

The Sunday Telegraph was given the first look at the new vehicles last week. Each has two bi-directional radars to measure the speed of as many as six lanes of traffic.

Inside the boot is an 11- megapixel digital camera, which will take two photographs of speeding motorists.

Alongside the digital camera is a video camera, which will record continuously to monitor the road. On the roof is the infrared flash, which is invisible to the naked eye to avoid distracting drivers caught at night. Mobile speed cameras will be parked at each destination for three hours, before moving on to a new location.

“The mobile speed cameras will only be placed in locations with a high accident history as determined by the RTA in consultation with NSW Police,” Dr Soames Job, director of the RTA’s Centre for Road Safety, said. The NSW Government has refused to specify what proportion of its $137 million increase in fines will come from the mobile cameras. Last year, about $62 million was collected by fixed speed cameras.

Based on the Budget figures and an average fine of $211, an estimated 1600 more drivers a day could be booked this financial year.

Mobile cameras have been responsible for a sharp increase in speeding fines in Victoria, where 50,000 drivers a month are caught. Angry motorists claim they are simply a revenue-raising tool.

NSW Roads Minister David Borger said he was determined to cut the road toll and the mobile cameras would help.

The NRMA wants a review of the cameras if the road toll remains unchanged.

At the end of the day I firmly believe we need to all make a stand and say no, what is the point in car manufacturers developing cars with high output engines, why don’t we just ride push bikes? Once upon a time we all made massive stands against what’s unfair.

I have to admit this beautiful country we all live in that our fathers and grandfathers went to war for to protect our freedom and our rights is fast being destroyed by politics, greed and stupidity.

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Should speed cameras be pulled or banned?