New speed cameras in one Aussie state will start issuing fines to drivers from today, with authorities warning motorists with a lead foot they “will be caught”.
For the past seven weeks, Tasmania’s Department of State Growth have been testing and calibrating the cameras installed on Bridgewater Bridge, which opened in June.
However, much to the disappointment of authorities, it was revealed this week that the trial saw an average of 800 drivers a week travelling over the 80km/h speed limit — a figure transport officials have deemed “completely unacceptable”, Pulse Tasmania reports.
“During testing we have been concerned with the level of speeding on the bridge and ask all motorists to slow down and obey the 80km/h speed limit,” a State Growth spokesperson said.
“No level of speeding is safe but the number of offences being detected is completely unacceptable.”
Hobart’s Bridgewater Bridge, which cost a whopping $786 million, was opened to the public on June 1 (pictured). Source: AAP Image/Ethan James
Drivers caught speeding on Bridgewater face fines up to $1,178
From August 1, drivers caught speeding on the four-lane bridge will face fines of up to $1,178 and six demerit points for each offence. Repeat offenders have been warned they will be penalised each time they are detected by the cameras, and could risk losing their licence.
The bridge, which cost a whopping $786 million, was targeted by boons just hours after it was opened to the public on June 1. Video footage posted online at the time showed a car performing burnouts, prompting authorities to slam the driver’s “selfish and reckless actions”.
New automatic speed cameras a ‘strong deterrent’
The cameras on Bridgewater are identical to the new automatic speed cameras installed on the Tasman Bridge earlier this year.
The Sensys Gatso monitoring systems, introduced in February, replaced outdated 1990s-era cameras that were decommissioned in 2022–23, with data from the Tasmanian Department of State Growth highlighting the stark difference in enforcement.
While the old cameras detected just 624 speeding drivers in 2020–21 and 458 in 2021–22, the new system is identifying more than 700 weekly offenders on the Tasman Bridge. “The new technology will detect speeding vehicles in all bridge lanes and multiple vehicles at once, making them a strong speeding deterrent,” a State Growth spokesperson said.
Across Australia, states and territories are upgrading their speed camera technology in an effort to reduce road trauma. While they remain a contentious issue among drivers, road safety experts and authorities maintain the cameras an effective deterrent.
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