mobile speed cameras<\/a> operate in the state\u2019s most disadvantaged areas, where median personal incomes fall below $36,000 a year.<\/p>\nIt comes as the Herald Sun can also reveal a staggering two in three mobile speed cameras are operating on roads where no crashes have occurred \u2014 and an error in Victoria Police\u2019s database listed five speed camera sites as having \u201chistory of serious and major injury collisions\u201d when they did not.<\/p>\n
Victoria Police data shows 884 of the state\u2019s 2089 approved locations for mobile speed cameras are clustered in the most socio-economically disadvantaged Victorian suburbs. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s the bottom 30 per cent of suburbs with lowest average incomes, education rates and housing standards.<\/p>\n
By comparison, just 521 cameras operate in suburbs in top 30 per cent of the state.<\/p>\n
Figures weighted by population show drivers in Victoria\u2019s poorest communities are almost twice as likely to have a mobile speed camera parked in their neighbourhood than in high-income areas.<\/p>\n
There are 42 cameras per 100,000 people in low socio-economic areas, compared to as few as 22 cameras per 100,000 people in wealthier towns.<\/p>\n
Unlike fixed speed cameras, mobile cameras are installed in unmarked vehicles and on trailers at the side of the road, and can only operate at locations approved by police.<\/p>\n
Victoria Police claim the \u201chighest priority\u201d mobile speed camera locations are at roads with histories of serious crashes and speeding complaints.<\/p>\n
But the Herald Sun analysis revealed a staggering 1330 of 2089 mobile cameras spots \u2014 or 63 per cent \u2014 had zero accidents in the past 10 years.<\/p>\n
And a smaller proportion of cameras were operating because of crashes in low-income areas (31 per cent) than high-income areas (44 per cent).<\/p>\n
Instead, police have approved 681 cameras on its own discretion, calling them \u201cspeed-related problem sites\u201d even though they had zero crash records and zero public complaints.<\/p>\n
The investigation found these \u201cproblem sites\u201d are causing the socio-economic divide, with more than double in low socio-economic areas (311) than in high-income neighbourhoods (146).<\/p>\n
The findings have prompted the Victorian Council of Social Services to call for an urgent review of mobile speed camera placements, warning fines which range from $261 to $1046 were hitting low-income drivers hardest.<\/p>\n
Chief executive Juanita Pope pushed for the state government to adopt a concession scheme like in New South Wales, so fines were proportionate to income.<\/p>\n
\u201cSpeed cameras save lives, and no one is arguing against road safety,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut a fine is a much heavier penalty for someone on a pension than someone on a six-figure salary.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor someone who\u2019s already struggling, a fine can force an impossible choice \u2014 pay the fine or pay the rent.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf camera locations are adding to (financial) burden, it deserves a close look from government.\u201d<\/p>\n
When contacted with the findings, Victoria Police insisted socio-economic status played no role in the location of its cameras.<\/p>\n
A police spokesperson said collision history, road environment, traffic volumes, and driver behaviour dictated its placements.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe purpose of the mobile speed camera program is to reduce speeding and improve driver compliance of all road users, regardless of where they live,\u201d the police spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMobile speed cameras are deployed on the basis that speeding drivers can be detected anywhere, anytime across Victoria.\u201d<\/p>\n
Police confirmed to the Herald Sun a site\u2019s approval reason did not dictate how frequently cameras were deployed there, meaning crash hotspots didn\u2019t receive greater enforcement priority than single-complaint roads.<\/p>\n
\u201cSpeeding remains the number one cause of fatal and serious injury collisions on Victorian roads,\u201d a police spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a road safety camera detects any motorist, in any location travelling over the speed limit, they should expect to be caught.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Herald Sun investigation uncovered five camera sites had been falsely listed as having \u201chistory of serious and major injury collisions\u201d in Victoria Police\u2019s database: Butterworth St in Swan Hill, Da Vinci Dr Shepparton, Perkins Rd Lara, Inverell Pkwy Tarneit and Bendigo Pyramid Hill Rd Raywood.<\/p>\n
Victoria Police blamed \u201chuman error\u201d for the listing mistakes but told the Herald Sun updating the public database was not an operational priority.<\/p>\n
Top suburbs for mobile speed camera sites were Mildura (21 approved sites) Reservoir (17), St Albans (17), Hamilton (14), Wangaratta (14), Wodonga (14), Ararat (13) and Craigieburn (12).<\/p>\n
Note: The data showed fewer cameras per square kilometre in low-socio-economic areas with cameras (8.6) than wealthier areas with cameras (12.3). But those figures reflect total land area rather than number of roads being monitored in each suburb. Population figures were used instead to more accurately compare speed camera burden.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Victoria\u2019s poorest suburbs are being disproportionately targeted by speed cameras, exclusive Herald Sun data analysis can reveal. 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