Why are fixed speed cameras located where they are?
Fixed speed cameras are installed at sites that meet specific criteria. The RTA Fixed Speed Camera Site Selection Criteria were developed by the RTA in consultation with the NRMA and the NSW Police Force.
These criteria are based on crash and injury crash rates and travelling speeds. This ensures that cameras are installed on 'blacklengths' (lengths of road with a high crash rate) and a demonstrated speeding problem.
Evaluations conducted in Britain and Norway have found that injury crash reductions of around 20 per cent are achieved through the use of fixed speed cameras that are installed at sites that meet criteria similar to those developed for the NSW fixed speed camera program.
Process for identifying potential speed camera sites
The process by which fixed speed camera sites are identified is as follows:
Blacklengths are nominated to the RTA by members of the public, Council, Police, the RTA and community groups.
Assessment of crash data is carried out over a minimum 1 kilometre length of road against two separate criteria, crash rate and injury rate. The most up to date crash data over a 3-year period is used. The assessment is based on road type (urban, rural, and divided carriageway).
- For urban roads, the crash rate has to exceed 80 crashes (per hundred million vehicle kilometres) and the injury crash rate has to exceed 0.5 injury crashes (per kilometre per year).
- For rural roads, the crash rate has to exceed 40 crashes (per hundred million vehicle kilometres) and the injury crash rate has to exceed 0.5 injury crashes (per kilometre per year).
- For divided carriageway roads, the crash rate has to exceed 25 crashes (per hundred million vehicle kilometres) and the injury crash rate has to exceed 0.5 injury crashes (per kilometre per year).
Speed surveys are conducted over a full week to obtain an accurate speeding behaviour profile on this length of road. The speed survey data is analysed and assessed against criteria based on 85th percentile speeds (ie 85 per cent of vehicles in the survey are travelling at or below this speed) and mean speeds (average speeds).
To address the high incidence of speed-related fatal crashes on country roads occurring at bends, supplementary rural bend site selection criteria have been developed, in addition to the general criteria detailed above. These supplementary criteria are as follows:
- Same crash history as applies for the general criteria.
- The 'blacklength' includes a curve or series of curves.
- Speed criteria based on 85th percentile speeds and mean speeds.
Inspection of the site is conducted to identify an exact potential speed camera location, taking into consideration the various technical requirements of the speed camera.
This site selection process determines suitability and locations that meet the site selection criteria are approved for installation of a fixed speed camera by the RTA and the NSW Police Force.
High risk locations
Fixed speed cameras can be effectively implemented at sites which are difficult for the Police to enforce using conventional methods, where there is a problem with excessive speeding and where a serious or fatal crash would result in significant difficulties of access by ambulance and emergency vehicles to the crash site. This is why speed cameras have been installed in the Eastern Distributor, Cross City, Lane Cove and Harbour Tunnels in Sydney.
Following the installation of fixed speed cameras in the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, significant reductions in travel speeds were found. Prior to the installation, over 63 per cent of vehicles exceeded the speed limit by more than 10 km/h, while an average of 30 per cent exceeded the limit by more than 20 km/h. Following the installation of speed cameras, the speed limit was increased from 70 km/h to 80 km/h and less than 1 per cent of vehicles exceed the new speed limit by more than 10 km/h.
In the Eastern Distributor Main Tunnels (80 km/h speed limit), before the speed cameras were installed, the NSW Police Force recorded vehicle speeds as high as 160 km/h. More importantly, elimination of speeding will help to prevent a serious injury or fatal crash from ever occurring.
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