Speed Camera News School Zone Scam 101: Run the Speed Scamera School Zone speeds when school is out!
Thanks to http://www.aussiemotorists.com/index.php?option=com_newsfeeds&task=view&feedid=11&Itemid=26 for the link
School Zone Scam 101: Run the Speed Scamera School Zone speeds when school is out!
http://smh.drive.com.au/schools-out-but-cameras-on-duty-20110716-1hj01.html
School's out but cameras on duty
Richard Blackburn
July 17, 2011
JUST because students are not at school doesn't mean the speed cameras are on holiday.
About three times the number of drivers are caught speeding in school zones on pupil-free days because they wrongly assume that they are not official ''school days''.
School zones with 40km/h speed limits typically operate for about two hours during the morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up in the streets around schools. On regular school days, about 500 motorists are detected speeding in school zones.
But on pupil-free days - there will be one tomorrow at most NSW public schools - the number appears to skyrocket as motorists assume that the speed limits do not apply, despite the presence of warning lights and signs.
On January 28, the unofficial start of the school year, police issued 1584 fines for speeding in school zones, despite most children being at home.
On April 27, the day before students returned from the Easter holidays, 655 fines were issued, according to the Office of State Revenue. On the equivalent day last year, April 19, 945 motorists were detected speeding in school zones.
The Roads and Traffic Authority defended the enforcement of school zone speed limits on days when there are unlikely to be children in the area.
A spokeswoman said that because the days were technically part of the school term, the speed limits had to apply.
''It is unusual for gazetted school terms to start on a Friday however this occurred on January 28 when a staff development day was held at many NSW schools,'' she said. ''While students are not required to attend school on staff development days, schools are obliged to accept students who do turn up.''
Independent schools sometimes kept different terms making it necessary to have a blanket rule for school zone dates, the spokeswoman said.
''While one school may have a pupil-free day, a school on the same road may be fully operational. The 40km/h school zones apply to help protect young, vulnerable road users.''
She said when school development days fell on gazetted term dates, the RTA advised motorists via the internet, radio and print advertisements, and with flashing lights.
The motoring body NRMA supported the enforcement of school zones on pupil-free days and did not think the policy was for revenue-raising purposes. (Ban the Cams comment: SURREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, runing a school zone when kids are NOT IN SCHOOL REALLY IS FOR "SAFETY". NOT!)
But it said the government had only installed about 700 sets of flashing lights out of 10,000 school zones across the state. In May, the government committed $13 million to doubling the number of flashing lights at school zones.
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