Police monitoring motorists' speeds through the Cameron Rd roadworks site on June 8. Photo / Mead Norton
Police monitoring motorists' speeds through the Cameron Rd roadworks site on June 8. Photo / Mead Norton
OPINION
Imagine going to work every day knowing you might get glass bottles hurled at you or fearing that you'll be struck by a vehicle.
That's the reality for roadworkers in the Bay of Plenty, as reported by NZME.
In the past month, roadworkers in Tauranga have reported an increasedlevel of abuse and aggression towards them and this week police have been forced to actively monitor speeds down a stretch of Cameron Rd.
As pointed out by a Premium subscriber, roadworks speed limits are heavily enforced in Australia - including with static speed cameras.
Police monitoring motorists' speeds through the Cameron Rd roadworks site on June 8. Photo / Mead Norton
Fair enough, too. The law is the law, and if you break it, you should be punished - including driving offences.
It's in punishment that people are encouraged not to make the same mistake again.
That's why I was surprised to learn there is apparently only one safe speed camera in the entire Bay of Plenty Police District and no red light cameras.
That's according to the latest information on the NZ Police website. The camera is on State Highway 2 at Pukehina. There are also cameras in Waikato, including near the Bay border.
Mobile cameras are used - we all know that because those vans stick out like sore thumbs on the side of the road. But just the one fixed camera.
I'm not saying that without more fixed cameras people are not being punished for bad driving because that's not the case.
In the Western Bay of Plenty last year, police caught 1203 drunk drivers, 4287 mobile phone users, and more than 11,600 speedsters.
In Rotorua, police caught 473 drunk drivers, 337 mobile phone users and more than 12,100 speedsters.
It's clear from those statistics there are too many bad drivers in the Bay of Plenty.
But amid rising gang tensions, other organised crime and a spate of offending by youths, I think our police resources would be better used elsewhere.
The best thing about speed cameras and red light cameras is that they only need to be maintained and the data reviewed - frontline police officers do not need to hang around waiting for something to happen.
One problem the force might have is it actually costs police to issue notices, but I think those lawbreakers caught by the cameras would quickly pay that cost off.
More importantly, safer speeds will result in fewer deaths.
In the Western Bay of Plenty last year 12 people died on the roads, and 10 in the Rotorua area.
Education and awareness campaigns, like Waka Kotahi NZ Transport's Road to Zero, are important but don't appear to me to be working.
We've got to hit bad drivers where it hurts: in the wallet.
