Budget issues put freeze on speed cameras for North Brisbane this Easter

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Budget issues put freeze on speed cameras for North Brisbane this Easter

* Robyn Ironside
* From: The Courier-Mail
* April 01, 2010 10:07AM



THE North Brisbane district, stretching from Albion to Sandgate, will be a speed camera-free zone on Easter Saturday because there is no overtime budget for police.

Police yesterday confirmed there would be no cameras operating in the district on the day, despite Easter traditionally being one of the worst periods for road crashes.

A rostered police officer will be removed from operational duties to conduct speed camera work in the district for six hours tomorrow.

The decision to crack down on overtime has angered traffic police and the Queensland Police Union, who said it was a matter of putting budgetary concerns before safety.

"Speed camera work is always conducted by police on overtime, which is budgeted for 365 days a year and it is pre-planned," said QPU president Ian Leavers.

"Easter has one of the highest fatality rates of the year and the North Brisbane district encompasses the Gateway Motorway and the Gateway Bridge. It flies in the face of the campaign that police will be highly visible on the roads throughout Easter."



But Metropolitan North Assistant Commissioner Ross Barnett said the decision was based on intelligence, not finances.

"What has always been the case with the North Brisbane District is that there's a heavy influx of traffic at the start and end of Easter," he said. "It's very quiet during the Saturday-Sunday period and there's not an operational need to have a speed camera deployed on the Saturday."

There were no fatalities recorded in the region last Easter.

He said mobile patrols would operate throughout the district right across the holiday period.

In plain english, we cann't raise revenue ,in that area, so, we won't put a camera there !!!!!!