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NSW speed camera audit released next month

NSW Audit Office will release review of the effectiveness of speed cameras in July

June 6, 2011

A review into the effectiveness of speed cameras across NSW will be released next month.

NSW Auditor-General Peter Achterstraat has received more than 1,700 only survey responses and more than100 submissions on speed cameras.

The response came after the NSW Government tasked Achterstraat with determining whether certain speed cameras improved safety or acted merely as revenue raisers.

Achterstraat says many of the survey responses, which have not been released publicly, focus on speed cameras in tunnels and on freeways.

“I will be releasing my report in July 2011,” he says.

“I recognise that a large number of people are concerned about speed cameras. We will use the public’s feedback to examine not only the most controversial cameras but also those people believe are saving lives.”

Acherstraat says the review will determined if cameras installed by the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) are located in areas with a high safety risk and if they reduce speeding and crashes.

The report has a limited scope, however, with Achterstraat saying it will not cover police speed enforcement measures, future speed camera initiatives, the accuracy of the units and other road safety measures.

The Auditor-General says he might examine the issues in future audits or comment on them if they affect his findings or conclusions.

The RTA says it will also exclude an analysis of point-to-point cameras because the devices were installed in response to Achterstraat’s 2009 investigation into heavy vehicle safety.

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