Almost 50,000 drivers caught speeding on Gilston street by Gold Coast ‘smiley’ speed cameras

Almost 50,000 drivers in two months have been caught speeding on a Gold Coast street, new data has revealed. FIND OUT WHERE

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ALMOST 50,000 drivers in two months have been caught speeding on a Gold Coast street, new data has revealed.

A total 49,432 drivers on Gilston Road in Gilston were captured speeding by one of the city’s “smiley” warning devices between June 15 and August 23.

Of those, 27,249 drivers were still speeding as they drove away from the camera. More than 194,000 cars passed the camera in the almost-six week period.

In the same time period, a device on Tarrant Drive in Mudgeeraba caught 14,077 of 20,071 drivers speeding.

The “smiley” signs are periodically moved around the Coast.

Just 29 per cent weren’t speeding, and almost 10,000 kept speeding as they moved on.

Woodland Drive in Reedy Creek fared slightly better, with 16,107 of 52,323 drivers speeding and 5499 not slowing down.

Division 9 councillor Glenn Tozer said the figures were from three of several warning devices installed throughout the hinterland area.

“One in four cars are speeding as they approach the device, and 60 per cent of these slow to below the limit as they pass the smiley face,” he said.

“Slowing by just 7km/h can save lives, but there’s still an opportunity for more improvement there.”

The devices were introduced as part of council’s road safety plan for 2015-2020, and have been rotated through the divisions as councillors identified speeding hot spots.

Cr Tozer shared the figures with residents via social media on Tuesday, calling for better driver behaviour.

“The most recent cycle of our smiley face devices across the division shows an improvement in a number of locations, where less vehicles are speeding on approach,” he said.

“That shows improved behaviour from drivers who are just seeking a gentle prompting to slow their speed in suburban streets.

Cr Glenn Tozer. Picture: Jerad Williams

“What it doesn’t capture is the number of specific hooning incidents where cars are travelling significantly above the limit.

“Some other mechanism must be delivered to prevent that, such as harsher penalties and changes to the Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act that must be delivered by the state government as promised.”

Queensland Labor promised during the 2020 election campaign to shift the onus of proof on to car owners over speeding offences.

It means if a car is caught speeding/hooning, the driver of the vehicle must prove they weren’t driving at the time.

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