Delay on enforcing Auckland's red light cameras may end soon
Monday, 7 January 2019
Delays to fully enforcing Auckland's new red-light camera network may be overcome soon as police and Auckland Transport resolve technical problems.
The effectiveness of the roll-out of $24 million worth of cameras has been curbed due to the inability of the police's technology to monitor more than six cameras simultaneously.
'After working with police and other stakeholders we now have a Memorandum of Understanding, detailing how enforcement of the cameras will work - all of the new ones,' said John Strawbridge, AT's Group Manager for Compliance.
Documents obtained by Stuff show that agreement is due to be signed by this week, with a system in place to allow police to remotely access AT's camera system and enforce offences.
**READ MORE:
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* Auckland Transport's red light cameras haven't worked for years**
'The technology is in place,' Strawbridge told Stuff.
Auckland Transport's council-funded rollout of eventually 42 cameras to nab motorists who cross red lights, hit trouble when it was found the police couldn't monitor more than six at any one time.
AT hopes its wider 'Speed Management Programme' which also includes lowering some speed limits, could prevent 24 deaths or serious injuries a year.
Correspondence obtained by Stuff show AT's chair Lester Levy and its chief executive Shane Ellison sought ministerial intervention in May last year, to help overcome limitations in the police enforcement technology.
'We understand from our officers that police will have challenges meeting the increased demand for enforcement created by the speed management programme,' the pair wrote to Police Minister Stuart Nash.
'Discussions have been progressing, but we urgently need to resolve a pathway forward so that future capital investment in camera enforcement is not under-utilised.'
Mayor Phil Goff weighed in with his own letter to Nash months later.
'We expect the police in every case to follow up with a prosecution or the issuing of an infringement notice,' Goff told Stuff in October.
The solution discussed at a workshop in October involving AT and police, is for the council agency's technology to run the system, and allowing police access to the system to carry out enforcement.
Figures released by Auckland Transport to Stuff in November, highlighted the scale of the red light running problem in the city.
The data showed 1682 red-light runners were detected at just five intersections in the previous fortnight - 120 motorists on average each day.
Nearly a third of those passed through three or more seconds after traffic lights turned red.