‘We need every driver to take responsibility for road safety’: Record $6.8m revenue from NT speed fines

SPEED cameras across the Territory raked in a record tally of $6.8 million in fines last year, with one Darwin black spot mostly responsible. FULL LIST OF THE HIGHEST EARNERS

• ‘The message is not getting through’: Disappointment at $4m in speeding fines issued at Tiger Brennan Dr and Berrimah Rd
• Tiger Brennan Dr and Berrimah Rd speed cameras costing leadfoot drivers about $12,000 a day in fines

SPEED cameras across the Territory raked in a record tally of $6.8m in fines last year, with one Darwin black spot mostly responsible for the number of infringements doubling.

Figures obtained from the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics show 19,228 motorists were snapped speeding by fixed cameras across the Territory last year – the equivalent of about 53 motorists fined every day on average.

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In 2019, the NT’s speed cameras only recorded about 8000 infringements and issued $3.6m in fines.

The combined speed and red-light cameras at the Tiger Brennan Drive and Berrimah Road intersection have been revealed as the Territory’s biggest revenue raisers.

The black spot raised $4,104,530 from about 12,000 motorists last year alone.

Darwin drivers were hit with over $6.8m worth of fines after being caught by traffic cameras last year. Tiger Brennan/Berrimah Rd cameras are once again the top earners. Photograph: Che Chorley

The fixed cameras snapped one driver speeding or running red lights every hour on average. One reason the speed cameras at that intersection are so lucrative is that the government changed the speed limit there.

In 2019, the limit dropped from 100km/h to 80km/h following a double fatal crash at the Tiger Brennan Drive and Berrimah Road intersection in 2019.

The speed camera along the Stuart Highway and Westralia Street was the Territory’s second top earner last year, cashing in $519,130 worth in fines from about 1500 motorists.

The Stuart Highway and Ross Smith Avenue camera caught 1096 lead foot motorists and raked in $420,100 in fines, while the camera on Stuart Highway and Girraween Road cost 957 drivers $330,840 in fines.

Police also issued 40,935 speeding infringements last year, 45 per cent of which were caught on police’s mobile cameras (18,554), 35 per cent on fixed red light cameras (14,467) and 19 per cent were caught by traffic police and handwritten (7914).

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Acting Senior Sergeant Craig Gillis said police were alarmed by the high rate of infringements.

“We continue to see people disregard the law and put their lives and others’ at risk every time they choose to speed,” he said.

“Fines and demerit points are a deterrent, but we really need every driver to take responsibility for road safety and keep each other safe on the roads.”

HIGHEST EARNING SPEED CAMERAS

Tiger Brennan Dr / Berrimah Rd (Inbound) — $1,960,200

Tiger Brennan Dr / Berrimah Rd (Outbound) — $1,244,310

Berrimah Rd / Tiger Brennan Dr (Outbound) — $900,020

Stuart Hwy / Westralia St (Inbound) — $519,130

Stuart Hwy / Ross Smith Ave (Inbound) — $420,100

Stuart Hwy / Girraween Rd (Outbound) — $330,840

McMillans Rd / Lee Point Rd (Inbound) — $258,400

Stuart Hwy / Jenkins Rd (Inbound) — $246,820

Stuart Hwy / Stott Tce (Outbound) — $198,440

Stuart Hwy / Henning Rd (Inbound) — $160,220

Stuart Hwy / Deviney Rd (Outbound) — $115,420

Trower Rd / Rapid Creek Rd (Inbound) — $93,920

Bagot Rd / McMillans Rd (Inbound) — $86,470

Stuart Hwy / Woolner Rd — $83,930

McMillans Rd / Bagot Rd (Inbound) — $71,140

Stuart Hwy / Howard Springs (Outbound) — $38,310

Stuart Hwy / Lambrick Ave (Inbound) — $19,190

Stuart Hwy / Berrimah Rd (Inbound) — $12,980

Stuart Hwy / Berrimah Rd (Outbound) — $15,060

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