Maroondah Highway cameras collect $1.6m in fines in three months

A TRAFFIC camera in Melbourne’s outer east is consistently in the top 10 money earners in the state but police say it is the number of infringements that is “disgusting”.

Speed camera Lilydale

MORE than $1.6 million in fines were collected from traffic cameras on the notorious eastbound and westbound lanes of the Maroondah Highway in Lilydale between January and March this year.

The cameras in both directions placed in the top 20 statewide for combined speed, red-light and unregistered vehicle offences according to the Department of Justice’s Cameras Save Lives website’s figures.

The westbound camera captured 4671 offences (8th overall), while the eastbound camera snapped up 2770 (16th).

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Yarra Ranges highway patrol unit commander Sergeant John Morgan said to have such high figures in the Lilydale area was “disgusting”.

He urged drivers to be more cautious, stating aside from fines the stretch of highway was a frequent hot spot for accidents.

“I must admit that I am surprised by the figures. I knew they would be high but those numbers are just ridiculous,” Sergeant Morgan said.

“It’s obvious that speed is a factor in a lot of the collisions on that road and then we have speeding fines and red-light offences as well.

“If the light is amber and it is safe to do so people need to stop.”

Sergeant Morgan said another concerning aspect of the statistics was that the cameras in question are located at a pedestrian crossing.

The community had their say on the cameras via the Lilydale & Yarra Valley Leader’s Facebook page.

Ron Avan Taylor said: “that’s a very sneaky camera ... no one realises it’s there until it’s too late”.

Kylie Baxter said the camera was a great cash cow that did nothing for road safety.

Pete Steky said: “People should know by now that there is a camera in operation. If they don’t slow down they have no one else to blame but themselves”.

Several people suggested the camera might be faulty, but Sergeant Morgan rejected the theory saying an independent investigation by Road Safety Camera Commissioner Gordon Lewis found the cameras to be in perfect working order.

Between October and December 2014 the cameras were ranked 8th (westbound) and 13th (eastbound) for total infringements in another Department of Justice study.