The oddly simple fix for Auckland's red light camera woes

Monday, 21 January 2019

OPINION: It is often a surprise how simple the answer can be to what seems like a big, crunchy problem.

So it was with the curious tale of Auckland's expanding network of cameras set up to nab motorists who run red traffic lights.

Five people died in crashes involving red light running in Auckland in 2017, more than the toll over the previous five years.

The council-owned agency Auckland Transport (AT) is spending $8 million to install 42 new-generation cameras over five years.

*** Auckland's battle on red-light runners steps up with all cameras now monitored

* Delay on enforcing Auckland's red light cameras may end soon

* No date set for full monitoring of Auckland's red-light cameras

* Auckland Transport's red light cameras haven't worked for years**

A string of media releases in January, June, August and October trumpeted the roll-out as it progressed with tough-talking quotes from Police, AT and Mayor Phil Goff.

Te Pai Place and Lincoln Rd in West Auckland was one of the first Intersections to get new red-light cameras.

However, the police were never intending to enforce more than six at any one time, something not conveyed to Auckland councillors in a May briefing from AT management.

Councillor Chris Darby was the first to wave a red flag, according to correspondence obtained by Stuff, with this September 3 exchange between AT and the mayor's office:

'Cr Darby was a little shocked by the revelation that the Police can still only monitor 6 red light cameras at any one time,' wrote a council official whose name is blacked out.

'I'm not sure the mayor too understands that this is the case.'

Goff sprung into action a month later after reading a report outlining the six-camera-limit, writing a letter to the Minister of Police, demanding action.

The problem appeared to be the capacity of ageing technology in the Police Infringement Processing System.

Police underlined the technology constraint in a statement on October 3.

The monitoring of six intersections in mid-2018 found 30 offences a day.

'As with any form of technology, the Police Infringement Processing System (PIPS) will need to be replaced at some point,' police said.

'In terms of processing more cameras, there are other systems and processes which would have to be considered capacity-wise.'

AT appeared to have a technology solution. In the minutes of a workshop with police, and in an interview with Stuff, the council agency said it had a way that police could access its systems to enforce all cameras at once.

In the run-up to Christmas a new agreement between AT and police was ready to sign, and on January 17 a triumphant media release, featuring the usual cast, hailed the agreement to monitor all cameras simultaneously.

The mayor's office pitched it to media as a triumph for effective political lobbying.

The release omitted to say how the breakthrough had been achieved.

The answer had nothing to do with technology. The way existing police staff worked would simply become more flexible.

Or as police put it in a statement to Stuff, they would 'cross functionally train staff, increasing the number of staff who can work in other work streams'.

Bingo. And surely not the only complex-looking problem for which there is a very simple, pragmatic solution.