Australia - Camera support plummets

[puggit]

http://thenewspaper.com/news/06/615.asp

Declining Support for Speed Cameras in Australia
Annual government survey shows more Australians believe revenue is the chief motive for speed cameras.

[b]The number of Australian motorists who believe speed cameras are "mainly intended to raise revenue" jumped from 54 to 62 percent in the latest annual government survey conducted for the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.[/b]

According to the Community Attitudes to Road Safety report, 68 percent of males and 56 percent of females believe revenue is the main purpose for the devices. Residents in Victoria and South Australia liked cameras the least with more than two-thirds rejecting the safety claims of proponents. The survey also showed declining support for speed enforcement campaigns with the number of people supporting increased fines for speeding offenses falling to just 23 percent.

The survey, released in May, was conducted last year by the Social Research Centre using a national sample of 1,665 Australian residents.

The complete survey is available in a 457K PDF format file at the source link below.

http://thenewspaper.com/rlc/docs/04-atsb.pdf

[jasandjules]

That is the Majority and therefore no doubt will lead to the immediate removal of all speed cameras.............................

Good old Aussies, they say what they think..

[james_j]

If you have ever driven in Australia, then you'd be completely barking mad to believe the cameras were anything but revenue devices (including the mobile ones).

Believe it or not, in Western Australia the government actually admitted that's what they were for. This is true, at least according to some people we know who live there.

[paolow]

funnily enough i have lived in australia and was lucky enough to have a good job and the option to stay. it might sound crazy but the ridiculous and over zealous persecution of the motorist was pretty pivotal in my decision to return to the uk. to be fair it was indicative of a larger nanny state at work (worse than weve got over here) but it rankled every single day and really affected my outlook.
at least here the cameras are sited in the pretence (sometimes) of safety. over there theres no such illusion - its blatant revenue raising and in the end i thought bollox, if i do stay that will be an itch i cant scratch - at least over here its not that bad. yet. and i can always go back if people over there get their common sense caps on

[james_j]

paolow said:

funnily enough i have lived in australia and was lucky enough to have a good job and the option to stay. it might sound crazy but the ridiculous and over zealous persecution of the motorist was pretty pivotal in my decision to return to the uk. to be fair it was indicative of a larger nanny state at work (worse than weve got over here) but it rankled every single day and really affected my outlook.

It's interesting you say that.

My perception of Australia's suffocating nannyism is precisely what stops me from emigrating there.

Also, the UK's moves in that direction are what is causing me actively to pursue emigration before it gets worse (which it will if people are stupid enough to return this government next time).

[nonegreen]

Perhaps these Muslims have a point you know. Maybe giving women the vote was a mistake. After all it looks like they are pretty much in favour of speed cameras as only just over half are against them.

[Darth Viper]

jasandjules said:

That is the Majority and therefore no doubt will lead to the immediate removal of all speed cameras............................. Good old Aussies, they say what they think..

Majority rule decisions? That would imply some sort of democracy, which is a style of Govenment not practised here. What we have in the UK is actually a multiple-choice dictatorship...

[KB_S1]

NZ is pretty much the same for speed limits/cameras/radars etc.
Just about every sporty or performance car i saw (many good ones) was kitted out with a variety of detector's and jammer's. Saw an evoVIII with half an electronics factory behind the grill and on the dashboard.

[james_j]

Darth Viper said:

jasandjules said: That is the Majority and therefore no doubt will lead to the immediate removal of all speed cameras............................. Good old Aussies, they say what they think.. Majority rule decisions? That would imply some sort of democracy, which is a style of Govenment not practised here. What we have in the UK is actually a multiple-choice dictatorship...

You're dead right.