Wednesday, Dec 04, 2002 at 01:00
An excerpt from today's West Australian Newspaper.
THE State Government has lost millions of dollars in revenue because a legal loophole has severely curtailed the use of Multanova speed cameras.
The snag, which has cut the use of the Multanovas on freeways and major roads, is set to put pressure on police resources during pre-Christmas road blitzes.
Since July, when Victoria Park Town Council issued a
parking infringement on a Multanova van parked on a reserve in Burswood Drive, civilian camera operators have not been able to operate on the city's freeways as
well as many major roads.
Civilian operators are not exempt from regulations which prohibit walking and
parking on freeways. There are 41 civilian operators working in shifts with 13 cameras on WA roads. Most are in
Perth.
With freeways and major roads off limits, the traffic flowing past Multanovas has fallen by up to 54 per cent.
It is believed the restrictions may have cost the Government up to $5 million in lost revenue in six months. It receives an average of about $40 million a year from Multanova infringements.
Assistant Commissioner for Traffic and Operations Support,
John Standing, conceded yesterday that the problem had had a considerable impact on road safety enforcement.
He believed that local government had a responsibility to support the State's road safety and traffic management programs. But legal advice had left police with little choice but to withdraw civilian camera operators from freeways and other major roads.
This proves to me that revenue is all that concerns them. Three cheers to the
parking inspector too I say.
Cheers
FollowupID:
4675