The characteristics of speed cameras logically are the antithesis of effective speed management. There are 3 ways in which they improve revenue collection at the expense of speed management promoting safety.

They confine enforcement to small areas when reckless speeding can occur anywhere. They focus on fining many people in rapid succession when only a small proportion of drivers are going too fast. Being incapable of thought they remove every vestige common sense in enforcement. Common sense in enforcement can direct attention to the motorists most in need of penalty. However common sense enforcement can be expected to reduce the revenue flow. It is more lucrative to target the majority of motorists at reasonable speeds than to seek out those at dangerous speeds.

Speed cameras raise money from an already overtaxed motorist population. Naturally the revenue raising cartel attempt to use a 'smoke screen' claim that introducing speed cameras is a move aimed at improving safety. They usually promise to have visible speed cameras at dangerous locations.

However this soon changes. Speed cameras are designed to make money efficiently and the overwhelming temptation is to use them for what they were designed- making money in areas where speed limits are set too low.

Ironically, speed cameras could in fact target people going too fast if set up at dangerous locations with speed limits at or above the 85th percentile. However only the most naive people would believe that the revenue raising cartel would forgo millions of dollars by taking this approach in the long term.

After the initial introduction there is always some attempt to conceal the cameras and place them near wide straight sections of road with good visibility to improve profits.

In some parts of Australia they acknowledge that speed cameras tax people and have nothing to do with laws promoting road safety by using civilian operators. This is cheaper than using police and increases profit.

Since in the long term the consequences of speed cameras are financial hardship and thwarting of our road safety efforts we believe that they should be banned entirely.

There is really no place for these Orwellian tax collection devices.