North Shore motorists stung in holiday period speeding fines

Speedy drivers paid more than $12 million in fines during the latest holiday period with the lion's share, almost $2m, coming from North Shore motorists.

In total, North Shore drivers were stung with fines totalling $1,870,970 from camera-issued speeding infringements during December 2015 and January 2016, according to the latest road policing driver offence data; the highest of any area in the country.

During the 2014/15 holiday period the same group paid $725,600 in camera-issued speeding fines.

However, in the 2015/16 holiday period Auckland motorway users were fined just $167,570 when caught speeding on camera, but the previous year were fined $1,146,070.

Devonport-Takapuna local board deputy chairman and former police officer George Wood said some North Shore residents felt like they were unfairly targeted.

"The North Shore is not a high-risk area for [crashes resulting in] death and serious injury.

"It's hard to figure out why there's emphasis on the North Shore when far more serious crashes happen in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty."

The infringements came during the holiday period when police enforced a lower 4km/h allowance over the speed limit, rather than 10km/h.

The lower speed limit threshold began in the 2013/14 holiday period.

Acting Waitemata road policing manager Inspector John Bleackley said the Waitemata district has four static fixed cameras.

He said police in conjunction with NZTA's Safety Team and an independent transportation sector expert, Abley Transportation Consultants, developed the Static Camera Site Selection Methodology.

The method helps to identify locations which have a proven history of crashes or potential for crashes resulting in death or serious injury.

"International research shows that static cameras are one of a range of safety interventions that encourages drivers to slow down, which reduces the number of deaths and the severity of injuries," Inspector Bleackley said.

"Static speed cameras on average reduce fatal and serious injury crashes by about 20 per cent within the sphere of influence of the camera [up to about 1km]."

He added Waitemata Police also carefully deploy mobile speed cameras to high-risk areas.

"We want all road users to be safe and feel safe, and enforcement of speed is a crucial part of reducing death and serious injuries on our roads.

"Police receive no money collected from fines, all of which goes to the Government. We would, in fact, be delighted if we did not have to issue another infringement, as it would show that all drivers were obeying the law, such as driving at a safe speed, wearing their seatbelt, not drinking and driving or talking on their phone, and deaths and injuries on our roads would plummet."

Waitakere, also in the Waitemata district, was the second most penalised region in the 2015/16 holiday period, with a total of $1,658,490 in speed camera fines, followed by Counties/Manukau West drivers with $1,299,150.

In the 2014/15 period Waitakere drivers were fined the most, with $1,342,970.

Throughout the country police collected $12,057,410 in speed camera fines during the 2015/16 holiday period, while in 2014/15 the figure was even higher at $13,023,030.

The top five areas for speed camera fines in the 2015/16 holiday period:
1. North Shore - $1,870,970
2. Waitakere - $1,658,490
3. Counties/Manukau West - $1,299,150
4. Wellington Central - $959,270
5. Auckland East - $708,140