Location of first fixed AI camera in Perth’s north revealed as road fine revenue tipped to surge

Source : Perth Now news

Close to half a billion dollars in extra fine revenue will be raked-in by the Cook Government as part of its expanded rollout of AI road safety cameras.

A new permanent seat belt and mobile phone offence detection camera has been installed on the Mitchell Freeway near Vincent Street in Leederville and will go live on June 1.

There will be a grace period of six months where drivers will be handed cautions for seat belt and phone offences, before infringements will begin to be issued from December 1.

It is the third permanent safety camera to be installed with two set up on the Kwinana Freeway last year.

Road Safety Minister Reece Whitby said the State was expecting to bring in $440 million extra fine revenue over the next four years from the cameras.

“We’ve seen the rate of offending decline dramatically,” he said.

“We’re still seeing an increase in revenue as this technology is deployed, the technology is having a positive impact on behaviour so that is something we want to achieve for the benefit of Western Australians.

“There will come a point, and I’m looking forward to it, when we’ve got the technology out there and the result is such that there’s been so much change behaviour that our revenues start to decline.

“I would be a very happy Road Safety Minister if I had $0 coming in because no one was offending.”

The roll out of the mobile AI cameras has caused major headaches for the Cook Government and motorists who have been pinged with infringements they say are unfair.

Almost 300 fines were handed out every day between 8 October and 17 April but over the same period more than $1 million in fines were cancelled on appeal.

The public anger forced a review by the Department of Transport which changed it’s policy to waive multiple infringements given to drivers for the same offence before they had received the notice for the first fine.

Mr Whitby refused to confirm it would be the case for the new fixed camera.

“We’ll look at the data and see what that’s telling us and if there are people who are offending and who need that assistance, will will consider it,” he said.