Victorian Road Rage at cameras - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

928GTS · 07-22-2003, 14:16

What goes around, comes around

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/com...5E2862,00.html

Road rage at cameras
By SUSIE O'BRIEN, industrial reporter
23jul03

SPEED camera operators face daily road rage, with some even followed home by irate motorists.

The Community and Public Sector Union yesterday accused the State Government of failing to protect Victoria's 80 private camera operators because they are not police officers.
CPSU spokesman Julian Kennelly said operators experienced abuse "almost every shift, every day, every hour".
"We have many of our female officers that are just now blatantly refusing to take evening shifts because of the intimidation," he said.
"It is at low levels, like cars slowing down and gesturing with hands, or fingers across the throat, right down to following officers home following the shift and sitting outside their house for extended periods of time."

Examples include:
PASSERS-BY held a motorist down until police arrived after he assaulted a camera operator.
A MOTORIST pulled up next to a camera, walked to the operator and knocked him to the ground.
MOTORISTS remove their number plates and drive by cameras, throwing objects.
The rising level of abuse comes as more than one million speed camera fines are now issued each year, raising $140 million for the State Government.
Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder said the growing level of abuse reflected the revenue-raising use of speed cameras.
"People are starting to react to the way these cameras are used and their placement on busy roads at peak hour or at the bottom of hills," he said.
Premier Steve Bracks yesterday told 3AW radio he would ensure any reported abuse of operators was taken seriously.
Victoria Police Superintendent Peter Keogh said about one report of abuse of camera operators is received a month, but that didn't include less serious incidents.
George Svigos, spokesman for Police Minister Andre Haermeyer, said there was "no excuse for assaults on someone" and accused the Opposition of condoning violence.

Aussie Pete · 07-22-2003, 17:44

Whilst I hate cameras and all that, someone who assaults or abuses the operator of the camera needs to rethink their approach.

The guy in WA is doing a great job because he kills the cameras, not the operator.

VH-PBC · 07-22-2003, 17:54

True AP! The anger should and must only be directed towards the camera. The person is simply doing their job.

It's unfair for that person to get injured because of the governments law practises.

928GTS · 07-22-2003, 18:13

AP you are correct, attacking and threatening the camera operator not going to bring about change.

blueoval · 07-22-2003, 18:45

I'm all for the death of the speed camera!!!

Save lives??? prffft....what ever.

They will be causing more bodily harm to the operators of those cameras than preventing accidents to those on the roads.

Driver education and training should be a complusory thing nationwide!

John McMaster · 07-22-2003, 18:49

Perhaps the govt will start to get the message, the more cameras being damaged means ppl are against revenue raising.
I definetly agree with ..kill the camera,the operators are just doing their job.....unfortunately.
Still if there are more assaults on operators,less ppl may be inclined to do the job.

VH-PBC · 07-22-2003, 18:50

What also should be compulsory is the nationwide unification & uniformity of speed rules and laws so that everyone knows what's happening if ever they cross the border!

07-23-2003, 01:05

On Sunday on the way back from the parents home, saw the trap, a white Rav 4 (see it a lot around Cranbourne, Dandy, Hallam, Berwick areas) was a 50 zone so drove past at 45 and couldn't believe it when the flash went off. I was soo pissed, I U turned, pulled up behind him, approached him and asked to him "nicely" why I was photoed when I was doing 45 in a 50 zone. The smartass said "maybe you weren't!" which did not help the anger that was in me at all. Still, kept a cool head and explained to him that I'd like to know if I was infact photoed because I know exactly how fast, or should that be how slow I was travelling. He then smiles like a true smartass and says "nah, I was just testing the system."
Now if he'd said this first off I'd just jumped back in and went on my mery way, but he had to be a smartass didn't he. So I said to him exacly that, why be a smartass?
I can see a lot more abuse coming their way the way the Victorian Government is going about their way of speed traps every 5 kms and 3 kms over the limit.

mongrelEB · 07-23-2003, 06:02

Yeh that's the thing, a lot of them are actually wankers and deserve it.
I speak from experience, if I"ve got a slow day I'll usually walk back to them and say something like "Get any good pictures?"
To which I often get a reply like "Huhuh yeah, some idiot just went past at 8 ks over the limit huhuh"
These people seriously piss me off. I probably wouldn't go as far as actually hitting one, but I ALWAYS slow down, lean on the horn, and give them the finger.
If they learn they are not wanted, some of them will refuse to come out - it's happening already

Quote:

"We have many of our female officers that are just now blatantly refusing to take evening shifts because of the intimidation," he said.

Good! I say, keep up the information flow - let the bastards know they're not wanted!
They cause more disruption in our society, I reckon, than burglars do!

Aaron_EF8 · 07-23-2003, 07:11

I always hit the brake pedal a bit, no matter what speed i'm going, just so they see the brake lights.

The Perth bloke is a legend, I want to buy him a sledge hammer and an axe, so he can continue on his excellent ways.