Everything old is new again.
Easter is such a great time for hype.
Every year the police roll out the much needed high visability PR campaigns to keep the road toll down.
Blitzes are leaked to the media and they then go into a frenzy of ‘driver beware’ stories.
http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=20532
http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=20546
Then sadly the long weekend ends and all the police vehicles disappear off the roads and aren’t ’seen’ until the next ‘blitz’.
Much comment has been made for a long time that a visable presence of marked police vehicles WILL actually remind drivers of keeping to the speed limits and not drink driving.
But it simply doesnt get thru to the police that think a short term blitz is better.
Recently the media has been in a major hype mode after the police media released a statement on newly updated wet film camera sites.
Strangley much of the facts were dropped off the story in theHun and ovbiously the Sub-Ed went into ’speed camera’ frenzy
Here’s the original PR
Red light camera network goes digital
http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=20505
Release date: Tue 7 April 2009
Last updated: Wed 8 April 2009
Victoria Police and the Department of Justice have announced 30 sites of the existing wet film red light camera network to be upgraded with digital technology.
The sites are at a wide range of metropolitan Melbourne locations with enforcement of red light offences commencing at 0001 on Friday, April 10 in time for the high risk Easter period.
The upgrade in technology was first announced by the state government in November last year as part of an overall package to reduce road trauma in Victoria.
Currently there are 26 wet film red light cameras rotated through 83 sites on the network as well as 82 fixed dual speed and red light digital cameras at intersections.
With the conversion of 30 sites to digital technology, the 26 wet film cameras will continue to be rotated through the remaining 53 sites.
This allows for the same level of area coverage on the network to be maintained as the fixed cameras can’t be moved once installed.
As part of the technology upgrade, the new digital red light cameras will also take on a speed enforcement capacity meaning an increase in the speed camera network.
An activation date for this has not been set as road works will need to be undertaken to install the infrastructure, however the public will be given fair warning when this occurs.
The 30 sites for upgrading were chosen based on high level levels of red-light running or collision rates.
Assistant Commissioner (Traffic and Transit Safety) Ken Lay said red light cameras were one of the key enforcement initiatives designed to reduce the number and severity of intersection crashes.
“Last year 28 people were killed as a result of side impact collisions at intersections, with 25 per cent of all serious injuries also caused this way,” he said.
“There were also over 4000 recorded collisions at intersections and a large percentage of these involved speed and motorists taking a gamble by running a red light.
“Why take the risk? Why put your life or that of someone else in danger? If you are photographed going through a red light, particularly speeding through a red light, then you absolutely deserve to be caught as it is just so dangerous.
“Police have no sympathy for the drivers losing money and demerit points due to their own stupidity, that’s reserved for the hundreds of families spending countless hours in hospital waiting rooms and rehabilitation centres because someone made a stupid decision.
“Do the crime, pay the fine – it is as simple as that. The cameras work to reduce road trauma and while that is the case police make no apology for using them.”
Mr Lay said the transition from wet film to digital red light cameras was essential as the older system was slowly phased out.
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with the accuracy of the wet film red light cameras however we are going to reach a point in the near future when the components are no longer available,” he said.
“Traffic cameras are no different from the cameras people buy for personal use – no one buys a traditional film camera anymore and part of that is because they are increasingly hard to find, get parts or film for and then get that film developed.
“By proactively upgrading to digital technology now it ensures the infrastructure works well into the future.”
Mr Lay said ideally police would like to have the entire wet film system upgraded to digital as it has obvious road safety benefits.
“This is something police will continue to talk to government about and we would anticipate that it may take place some time in the future,” Mr Lay.
“The great advantage of red light cameras is that they allow for the offence to be enforced safely without putting our members in danger by following another vehicle through.”
A full list of the 30 digital sites and all other traffic camera sites in Victoria is available at www.justice.vic.gov.au/camerascutcrashes on the Internet.
(or via our site www.CamerasCutCrashes.com.au) 
Followed by 2 very ‘average’ stories in theHun.
Extra 30 red light speed cameras installed in Melbourne - http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25302389-2862,00.html
Comments here- http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/comments/0,22023,25302389-2862,00.html
Then a rehashed edit - http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25304854-2862,00.html
Funnily my submitted comments never made it
another attempt at spinning the tired old story of more cameras are good for you. these ‘new’ sites are actually old ones that have sat, rusted out, for many years and are now revived by adding a new flash unit and different ‘film’. why havent they improved the safety at these intersections if they have known about them for such a long time. easter is a great time to bring up the safety message but a fine in the mail a few weeks later will do little to stop the majority of non speed related fatalities over the long weekend. D
also these 30 cameras are ONLY redlight camera upgrades. the CamerasCutCrashes policy clearly indicated the following [*These cameras utilise combined speed and red-light camera technology. However they will initially detect red-light offences only.] i think the ed was a bit over the top with ‘hi-tech speed camera mania’. D
Their Google maps does give a good overview of the recycling of vintage abandoned sites.
http://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=106330359029590077600.000466edba051590f9998&ll=-37.812496,145.010605&spn=0.406848,0.615234&source=embed
The question is WHY did these sites sit empty for so long?
The real information came from here
http://www.justice.vic.gov.au//wps/wcm/connect/Road+Safety/resources/file/ebc99207a7db7c4/Upgraded%20wet-film%20to%20digital%20red-light%20cameras.xls
*Upgraded wet-film to digital red-light cameras*
Location Intersection Suburb
Prospect Hill Road At the Intersection of Prospect Hill Road and Burke Road Camberwell
Maroondah Highway At the Intersection of Maroondah Highway and Springvale Road Nunawading
Royal Parade At the Intersection of Royal Parade and Cemetery Road North Carlton
Canterbury Road At the Intersection of Canterbury Road and Station Street Box Hill
Bell Street At the Intersection of Bell Street and St Georges Road Preston
Warrigal Road At the Intersection of Warrigal Road and North Road Oakleigh
Albert Street At the Intersection of Albert Street and Gower Street Preston
Williamstown Road At the Intersection of Williamstown Road and Somerville Road Yarraville
Centre Road At the Intersection of Centre Road and Warrigal Road Oakleigh South
Ballarat Road At the Intersection of Ballarat Road and Churchill Avenue Maidstone
Spencer Street At the Intersection of Spencer Street and Dudley Street West Melbourne
Johnston Street At the Intersection of Johnston Street and Hoddle Street Collingwood
Punt Road At the Intersection of Punt Road and High Street Prahran
Dandenong Road At the Intersection of Dandenong Road and Clayton Road Clayton
Cheltenham Road At the Intersection of Cheltenham Road and Springvale Road Keysborough
Maribyrnong Road At the Intersection of Maribyrnong Road and Mt Alexander Road Ascot Vale
Grimshaw Street At the Intersection of Grimshaw Street and Macorna Street Watsonia North
McCrae Street At the Intersection of McCrae Street and Foster Street Dandenong
Geelong Road At the Intersection of Geelong Road and Droop Street Footscray
Harding Street At the Intersection of Harding Street and Sydney Road Coburg
Blackshaws Road At the Intersection of Blackshaws Road and Millers Road Altona North
Geelong Street At the Intersection of Geelong Street and Geelong Road West Footscray
Fitzroy Street At the Intersection of Fitzroy Street and Princes Street St Kilda
Doncaster Road At the Intersection of Doncaster Road and Wetherby Road (Victoria Street) Doncaster
Barkly Street At the Intersection of Barkly Street and Carlisle Street St Kilda
Warrigal Road At the Intersection of Warrigal Road and Batesford Road Chadstone
Warrigal Road At the Intersection of Warrigal Road and Centre Dandenong Road Cheltenham
Denmark Street At the Intersection of Denmark Street and Barkers Road Kew
Elgin Street At the Intersection of Elgin Street and Nicholson Street Carlton
Smithfield Road At the Intersection of Smithfield Road and Epsom Road Kensington
*These cameras utilise combined speed and red-light camera technology. However they will initially detect red-light offences only.
More files worth looking thru here
http://www.justice.vic.gov.au//wps/wcm/connect/Road+Safety/resources/file/?C=M;O=D
Posted: April 10th, 2009 under Uncategorized.
Comments: none
