Johannesburg – Mobile speed cameras should be banned as they give room for human error, Justice Project South Africa said on Monday.
“Mobile speed cameras leave room for human error, instead we want the number of stationary cameras to be increased,” JPSA chairperson Howard Dembovsky told a press conference.
Most of the people who operate mobile cameras were not adequately trained to operate them and motorists were forced to pay “fraudulent fines” to avoid being prosecuted, he said.
He argued that more visible policing was needed to deter road offenders.
Dembovsky said that the country should move towards introducing more visible speed cameras to reduce reckless driving on the roads.
‘Not stopping unroadworthy vehicles’
“These things [mobile speed cameras] are just weapons of mass prosecution. We are not saying speed does not kill, but Johannesburg metro police department is not stopping unroadworthy vehicles on our roads.
“All they do is hide behind the bushes hoping to find a speedster.”
Dembovsky highlighted the need to move towards a system where road offenders were stopped and fined at the scene where they committed the offence.
The trapping business was becoming a money-making industry and was not helping in making the roads safer.
JPSA is an organisation that advises motorists about unfair traffic fines.
- SAPA
How do we check the legality of traps that we have been caught at, does the law have any limitations as to where the traps can be setup, like downhill roads, or freeways where the speed changes from 100 to 80.
Similarly, how is it that at the rivonia road turnoff this morning, the outsurance guys are trying to make impact on the frantic traffic from non working robots, and metro are sitting on the offramp pulling off people (apparently at random) for fines?
ARE WE NOT PAYING THE FINES SO THAT THE METRO POLICE CAN LOOK AFTER US?
And if i start on the morality of picking on people stuck in traffic, it’s akin to hijacking.
Road safety allowances is a contract, between government and the people, which the metro are not honouring.
Heard you on SAfm – good work!
PLEASE get a homepage WITHOUT pictures, etc. which gobble up airtime. I want to know more & how i may be able to help – BUT i’m a poor pensioner & pay-as-u-go airtime is VERY expensive.
Manay thanks,
Ken
Speed Cameras do not correct behaviour, If I am caught speeding, I only receive the fine 3 to 4 weeks later, the offence has not been rectified. The authorities do not want to correct behaviour. One should be stopped if speeding and a summons should be handed over on the spot, This brings it too the drivers attention immediately. Cameras are understanble on highways as the officer can get injured or killed. The camera must take snap shots from the front so the driver may be identified.
Up to this date I have been asking a question , what is the aim of speed cameras , is it to get people and pay a money or is it to control traffic ?
in my view they are suppose to control traffic and if so we need not to hide them
pleas lets fight this .
i have heard about your good work from my Boss , can you pleas send me you presentation
The promulgated speed limit on Nelson Mandela drive outside Potchefstroom towards Klerksdorp, is 120km/h. The Potchefstroom traffic department has been pitching speed limit signs that are way below the the 120km/h limit, and in-turn issuing speed tickets based on the over-night fixed road signs. Is the action of this department within the law.
Regards
L. Mokwena
please i’m desperate to get the telephone numbers for the people that i can talk to with regard to all the ticket i collected for the past year or so. before the special assignment report on terrafic fines, i had started collecting and putting all the tickets that i got and paid, and some are repeated, some they said i should get a refund, i went to fill in the forms and a year later i’m still waiting for the refund worth R400. when i go to the terrafic department at first they said it was recorded in the computer and now it’s not anymore, i haven’t received my refund yet. since i started suspecting the legetimacy of the fines, i drive 80 ks even on a 120 ks speed limit zone, since the beggining of the this year, already, i’ve paid tickets to the amount of +- R2500,00. it’s not even december yet. with the recession, 2 kids, a car, a bond and now the terrafic fines that i know now for the fact they lie, and i keep on gettign them, basically just by being on the road, i earn myself a fine. a year i’m talking about +- R10 000. i have prove of this, i’m depressed and desperate for help. may you please give the number to call and bring all the fines that i collected for further investigation. is this the freedom i voted for?
thank you for your help.
Desperate Rachel Moganedi
tel 0845000495
is trapping legal if the camera is placed on the top of a bridge?
Brei asb u ondersoek uit na die wesrand want die foto boetes is definitief rekenaar “enhanced” en dit word oor en oor uitgereik want met n “scanner” kan jy baie bedrog pleeg DANKIE VIR DIE GOEIE WERK – ONS STEUN U TEN VOLLE – Fanie
I have received a fine in Natal, one of a kind! i’ve been charged R750.00 for this fine. Its called average speed measurement violation. I need advise before I pay this fine. Speed Limit is 100km, When I passed the 1st camera I was doing exactly 100km, and in between this camera and the next I was driving about 110km or so, the second camera states that it has calculated that I was doing 123km in this strectch, and therfore the fine, I need to know if its a legal fine. A kind correspondence on this issue will be appreciated. Fine due 28-10-09.
Regards
Mohamed
(082 658 5788
I, by accident , saw special assignment last night. I have had this matter going on with the City of Cape Town for three years now. Is there anybody I can forward my correspondance to City of Cape Town to be investigated. We have thousands of unroadworthy cars and unlicenced drivers and cars in this Town, but the traffic department is not interested in it, because it brings no revenue. Please email me at nico@fairestcapecarhire.co.za
I have recently logged onto payfine.co.za and discovered to my horror that I have four traffic fines all along the Klipspruit Valley Rd (Orlando – Klipspruit Soweto) to the amount of R1 275.00 between May and July 2009 – I am not sure if these fines are legitimate since your expose of fraud regarding these speed cameras being used – The Klipspruit Valley Rd was specifically mentioned as one such Rd with dubious reliability as regards their methods. Is there anywhere I can take these tickets to verify their authenticity?
Please Advice at email:cameron_smith@bat.com
About a year ago I was travelling back from KZN – Durban on a Saturday afternoon on the N2 back to Johannesburg as you know the speed limit is 120 km/h. Passing Mooiriver I was trapped by a camera doing 90 Km/h in a 60 zone this still baffels me as I can swear I did not see a board depicting 60 Km/h accept when approaching a Toll-gate. The fine I received in the post was R2500-00 which I thought was a total rip off, after querring it the Traffic Chief would not even take my call and told the lady, I was speeking to that he would make an example of these (I wont use the words) motorists who think they can do what they want to; I was not given the oppotunity to see the photo of my car & was told to come to Mooiriver to see them, if I wanted too.
I consalted a lawer in Durban who advised me to rather pay the fine, which I reluctintlly did, however a long while after I got a phone call from the lawers office asking if I had paid the fine, when I said “YES” the lawers office told me that I should not have paid it, its too late to do anything now, OR is it?.
WHY DOES THE MOTORIST HAVE TO PAY & PAY OVER & OVER AGAIN.
HOW CAN THE MOTORIST & PUBLIC BE PROTECTED AGAINST THOSE WHO SHOULD BE PROTECTING US? WHO PROTECTS US FROM THEM?
I CAN WRITE MORE BUT RATHER LET ME STOP HERE!
Hi
I’d like to know if someone could come check and see if the speed trapping in Kensington, Johannesburg, on Langermann drive is legal. I read in the Saturday Star, 21 November 2009, that camera equipment should be checked after each shift and everytime it is moved. The police manning the camera’s on Langermann pack up and go everytime it is lunchtime and return an hour or so later. I’m assuming that the camera was not checked when they returned! Is this allowed?