The Queensland government announces roadworks speed monitoring devices will finally issue fines, more than 18 months after they were introduced.
ABC News reports that the cameras have not issued any fines, although they did collect “vehicle speed data,” according to a Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) spokesperson.
“During operational trials and continued industry engagement, industry requested a solution that could be used in shorter term roadworks,” a TMR spokesperson said.
“An alternative type of camera was subsequently purchased and is now being installed.
“After operational trials are completed, it is expected that the road construction cameras will begin issuing violations in May 2024.”
First announced in August 2021, the government announced in August 2022 that the cameras, along with new school zone speed cameras, would go live in September of the same year.
It was also confirmed that the road construction cameras would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week – unlike the school zone cameras, which only operate at times indicated on school zone signs.
TMR says it worked with industry to identify road construction sites where speeding was a worker safety issue.
The cameras – both the road construction units mounted on a converted excavator and the school zone units integrated into fixed signs – are part of the same pilot program, scheduled to be completed in June 2025.
But it wasn’t just the road construction cameras that were experiencing delays in their introduction: the government confirmed in July 2023 that the cameras in school areas were affected by technical problems, which resulted in no fines being issued for a period of seven months.
After the cameras went online, they issued 1,607 fines to speeders over a three-week period from August 7th to August 28th.
TMR subsequently confirmed that these cameras have issued over 10,000 fines since they became operational.
“The pilot will be evaluated to determine the road safety benefits and technical performance of the technology,” a TMR spokesperson said ABC News.
“The results of the evaluation will inform any decision to continue the program.”
In addition to these new cameras, Queensland will also deploy stationary and mobile speed cameras, as well as cameras that can detect mobile phone use while behind the wheel and determine whether vehicle occupants are wearing their seatbelts correctly.
From July 1, 2024, speeding fines in Queensland are set to increase, with the value of a penalty unit increasing from $154.80 to $161.30.
Below is a list of some of the traffic offenses that will be affected by the new penalty unit setting in Queensland.
| Driving offense | Current fine (until June 30, 2024) | New fine (from July 1, 2024) | Minus points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drive less than 7 mph over the posted speed limit | $309 | $322 | 1 |
| Driving between 11 km/h and 20 km/h over the posted speed limit | $464 | $484 | 3 |
| Driving between 20 km/h and 30 km/h over the posted speed limit | $696 | $726 | 4 |
| Driving between 30 km/h and 40 km/h over the posted speed limit | $1161 | $1210 | 6 |
| Drive more than 40 km/h over the posted speed limit | $1780 | $1852 | 8th |
| Do not wear a seat belt when driving | $1161 | $1210 | 4 |
| Using a cell phone while driving | $1161 | $1210 | 4 |
| Don’t stop at a red light | $619 | $645 | 4 |