Mjpb

I wonder if I can pick up on your comments after this thread had lain dormant for a few days….

You’ve made a series of good points. It is well worth discussing these in some detail.

Firstly, if a private company was to operate speed cameras and cut the police out of this activity for overtime, there would still be all manner of other ways in which the police could do overtime. So it would not be preventing them from overtime options, surely.

Secondly, how can such an activity be something that the cops largely do as an extra overtime activity? There’s something pretty weird about that. If it is going to be up to the police to do this, it needs to be a fundamental part of their work program and not an optional extra.

The big thing about this business is – if speed cameras are really successful in reducing speeding and thus reducing accidents, injuries and deaths, then how can the government or police or public possibly justify their current very limited use? Why aren’t they everywhere?

The cynical view is that if there were a whole lot more of them, they really would be effective and they would then not generate anywhere near as much revenue... or as big a profit margin after running costs are factored in!

I’ll leave it at that until I know whether you are still looking at this thread and wish to respond or not. Cheers.

(of course, comments from anyone else are most welcome)

Future of Australia

Welcome to OLO.

From your website:

<< …we will be targeting the wolves instead of trapping the herd >>

This is certainly what we should be striving to do. Speed cameras that catch out lots of drivers that are just doing a few ks over and are basically just rolling with the flow are NOT what we want.

<< Issuing fines to aggressive drivers is the nation’s best tax >>

The overall policing of aggressive, impatience and risky driving is really important. Tailgating is especially something that needs to be clamped down. It is traditionally something that is not or very rarely policed.

This is where it becomes very important that ordinary citizens be able to make complaints to the cops and have them properly acted on, rather than the current situation whereby the police effectively discourage people from making complaints unless an accident or seriously close call has occurred.

Thank you Ludwig,

In regards to the policing of aggressive drivers, I think the device mentioned could be of great assistance.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
'...A new all-in-one device will change motoring forever. It will be similar to a satellite navigation unit and is feasible at present.

Its functions will include:

-Speeding and traffic offence monitor
An audible warning will sound if the speed limit is exceeded, and a fine issued if the speeding persists. All speed cameras will be obsolete and much money will be saved.

-E-tag & All parking payments (street parking and parking lots)
No more council parking inspectors, parking fines or parking meters. Stopping for a few minutes on a street in the CBD will start the device's meter.
No more parking lot boom-gates or tickets, no more parking lot attendants. No more funneling of traffic in general.
No toll gateways or toll operators. As with E-tag, driving through a toll area will incur the charge.
All parking and toll fees will come on a single bill...'
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Quoted from website:
https://sites.google.com/site/futureofaustralia/home

I think this system could also be used to police tailgating because the devices would be able to measure a motorists proximity to other vehicles through the GPS. Just like speeding however, a pattern of aggressive driving would be sought and an occasional breach would not incur a penalty.

Thanks for visiting my website and I hope you don't mind that I used your music in the title screen :)

Future of Australia

In theory your ideas have merit, but I don’t think it would be as easy as you envisage.

To get such a device that can do all those things developed, tested, approved and into every car, would be a major battle and would take a long time. To develop the system that can monitor all those millions of vehicles and pick up the infringements would be a huge undertaking. Then you have the issue of it all being very big-brotherish.

I’m not sure about the practicality of it all.

I think that we need something that is more of human-interface / personal-empowerment oriented.

One of the great problems with the policing of road safety is that the police feel they basically have to witness infringements themselves. They really don’t like dealing with complaints from the public about bad driving.

If the public were actually encouraged and facilitated in making complaints, with all the necessary information and safeguards against vexatious complaints, then we’d all be vastly better off.

In fact, I think that the police should be much more behind the desk following up on complaints generated from the public and less out there on the front line.

This sort of community policing is the key. When would-be d!ckhead drivers get it through their thick skulls that any person in the community can and very possibly will report them to the cops, with or without sufficient information for them to be charged, then they’ll pull their woolly heads in!

When every adult is perceived as a potential police officer with respect to the law, instead of just the very thin blue line that make themselves stand out like dogs balls at a couple hundred metres, then we’ll be getting somewhere.

Technological advances certainly have a role. But a basic level of empowerment for normal people to do their bit is at least as important and probably much more important.

BTW, I tried to leave a message on your website, but it confounded me and eventually my message evaporated before I could post it!

Hello Ludwig,

From a technological perspective its all possible at present, and simply a matter of combining existing technologies. The cost of the device itself would be relatively low at around the same cost as a good quality sat-nav device.

You're right that the cost of establishing the system would be high, but it would pay for itself in a very short period of time. The practicality is its biggest selling point in my opinion, like gathering all the small threads into one ultra-efficient mega-system

The implementation of a such a system is a natural evolution and unavoidable in the future. we could gain a comparative advantage and perhaps be able to sell intellectual rights to other nations by being the first to adopt it.

The concern over privacy would be the biggest challenge. I would try to explain that it's in the benefit of all law abiding citizens, and educate them that it's illogical to believe that the government has either the resources, the cause or the motivation to spy on its citizens.

In regards to the public being encouraged and facilitated in making complains, and the safeguards required, I suggested (in 'vice and crime' section) the following:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Reporting criminal activity

A new website will be created for reporting criminal activity. It will be called ‘dutiful citizen’ and will replace the ‘dob-in’ franchise (which has negative connotations).

It will be web-form based and include fields such as; name, address, phone number, LICENSE PLATE NUMBER, crime reported, etc. Each of these fields will be cross referenced across the database for any matches within any field. Matches will be investigated.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Quoted from website:
https://sites.google.com/site/futureofaustralia/home

I have just now edited this section to include 'license plate number'.
The fact that only those who have been reported multiple times will be investigated works well as a safeguard.

Ill try to figure out what the issue is with the website. (and hopefully fix it.) Thank you.

This proposed devise, that measures and warns of all sorts of things, maybe it should also control the accelerator pedal and brakes. Instead of warning you about "tailgating" (translation, slow drivers hogging the overtaking lane), it simply would not allow it to happen.
There is also the issue of who will pay the $500 or something to install the thing? will there be a huge political will to basically end a lot of traffic fines? will this idea make people bored and complacent leading to more accidents?
Somebody told me that after the Northern Territory ended open speed limits and made the max 130k's, there were a swag of fatalities that week. It could be seen either way really, but I also reckon the new speed/red light cameras will cause a lot of accidents.