On channel 9 6pm news tonight (sunday 11 July, 2010) ....
A story about the re-introduction of mobile speed cameras to the roads of NSW.
Mr David Borger, [Minister in charge, and my state member] said that the NSW state government would be happy not to receive a single dollar in fines from these cameras. The cameras would only catch those who broke the law.
To illustrate the story, a crumpled wreck - said to be that of a 'speeding P-plater' was shown. With the amount of damage done it must have been travelling well above the limit on what appeared to be a suburban road.
And yet we are being warned of a possible 4km/h lee-way before being booked, a mere 1.11 metres/second. This is below the allowable wind speed for track and field records to be valid, less than average walking pace.
Most people, not intent on 'speeding', manage to keep to 'about' the posted speed limit. With the best of intentions this means that some of the time will be spent 'speeding'. To travel 1-2m/s faster should not be treated as a breach.
If 4km/h is to be regarded as 'speeding' then there are two outcomes.
1. A driver will have to aim at a speed about 5km/h below the speed-limit, or
2. A driver will end up watching the speedo-needle instead of the road.
Australian design rules allow a 10% error in a cars speedometer. How can a driver be expected to meet a tolerance below the precision of the measuring instrument provided?
