TMR speed camera locations slammed as revenue raising

The 'yellow donation boxes', as they've been dubbed on one discussion page, have been sited at the entrances to those towns on and off for the last few weeks.

Many of the criticisms were aired by Warrego MP Ann Leahy, who declared that the Department of Transport's unmarked speed camera at the WM Ewan Bridge at Roma's eastern entrance was "simply revenue raising".

"Rather than address the state government $5.7 billion road maintenance backlog and stand up the federal government who have threatened to cut federal road funding $403.51 million from the Warrego Highway and $800 from the Inland Freight Route, and this bridge is on both, Labor trots out a speed camera," she said. "This location simply smacks of hypocrisy from the state government."

She said there had been two road fatalities further east at Yuleba, where the community requested speed reductions, via 700 signatures on a petition to state parliament, but which she said had been denied by the government.

"It is understandable for the need to influence driver behavior in known black spots where deaths have occurred," Ms Leahy said.

"That is not the case with the location of the speed camera at the Bungil Creek bridge. "This camera is not highly visible - often it is well shaded and hidden by the bridge railing."

She said it was increasing traffic on residential streets instead, as people took an alternative route to avoid the camera, increasing traffic, noise and danger to children on those streets.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey responded by highlighting that people fined at the Bungil Creek location were speeding, which he said was easy to avoid by sticking to the limit.

"More importantly, no-one wants to be involved in a car crash or have their loved ones involved in an accident," he said.

"Speed increases the likelihood of being involved in a crash and its severity increases with speed.

"I make no apologies for doing everything I can to save lives on our roads."

Katter's Australian Party has been critical of the speed cameras in recent days, asking Transport Minister Mark Bailey prove cameras at locations including Malanda and Torrens Creek were properly calibrated and operating correctly.

A TMR spokesperson refuted the claims and said they had addressed the issue previously.

Barcaldine resident Chris Cole questioned the placement of the speed camera at the southern entrance to the western Queensland town on a social media community page, citing the TMR justification on its website, that they're deployed to high-risk areas in regional and remote parts of Queensland as well as roadwork sites and school zones.

The site says road safety camera trailer sites are selected using strict criteria, assessing speed-related crash history or potential crash risk.

"We decide where to locate speed and red light cameras by assessing all Queensland roads against strict criteria including: the number of crashes on a section of road in the last five years; the severity and causes of crashes that have occurred; how common high risk speeding behaviour is in an area," it says. "At least two speed-related crashes need to have occurred in an area in the past five years for the location to be eligible for mobile speed camera enforcement."

Mr Cole said he very much doubted there had ever been a speed related accident in the locations where they are being placed in Barcaldine.

"(I) would go so far as saying they are being located on the safest sections of our roads," he said. "Rarely, if ever, are they being placed in school zones or roadwork sites, and rarely in the 100/110 km/hr open road locations where speed related accidents may have occurred."

A TMR spokesperson said the places transportable road safety cameras were sited were primarily determined by crash history.

"As moveable speed cameras deter motorists from speeding both at the specific deployment location and generally across the immediate and wider road network, they do not need to be placed only at 'black spots' to be effective at reducing road crashes," they stated.

As far as being a revenue raiser, the spokesperson said motorists were ultimately responsible for the number of speeding fines detected and the associated revenue from them.

"The vast majority of motorists passing speed cameras are not issued with an infringement, a statistic that is rarely reported, but that highlights that speeding motorists are very much in the minority - albeit, still large enough in numbers to significantly add to road trauma," the statement read.

"The Queensland government would prefer that no money was collected from speeding infringements if it meant that everyone was driving safely within the speed limit.

"The Queensland government makes no apologies for implementing strategies to improve road safety and reduce trauma on the roads.

"Money collected from CDOP infringements in Queensland is required by legislation to be used to fund road safety programs, research and education.

"As a reminder, these funds are generated from motorists who are engaging in an illegal and dangerous behaviour on the road that puts other road users, including vulnerable road users, at risk."