Following the launch next month of the first portable speed cameras that resemble large roadside equipment, more drivers will be subject to penalties for speeding.
From September, Queensland will see an increase in the huge yellow boxes, which are cutting-edge speed cameras intended to capture drivers in work and school zones.
Before being approved for full-time usage, the gadgets must first undergo a two-year testing period.
The boxes are equipped with a cutting-edge camera and a sign that warns cars of the posted speed restriction.
The introduction of the cameras sparked indignation among many social media users, who accused the company of doing it just for financial gain and complained that the cameras were made to resemble heavy equipment or, in one case, ATM machines.
On the Department of Transport and Main Roads article about the cameras, one user said, “Cleverly camouflaged as a solar powered earth mover.”
Another person said, “Brisbane must need financing for another tunnel.”
Another person said, “Isn’t it odd that they look like ATM machines?”
Another individual said, “Would be wonderful if you left it as an excavator and mended unsafe roads me thinks.”
Director-General of the Department of Transport and Main Roads Neil Scales said in a media release that studies shown a direct correlation between camera enforcement and a decrease in deaths connected to speed.
With 74 deaths and thousands of injuries, speeding was one of the top causes of fatalities and severe injuries on Queensland roads in 2021.
Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the additional speed cameras will be placed in “high-risk” areas starting in September as he introduced Road Safety Week.
As a result, he warned Queenslanders that they may appear at any time or anywhere.
“I don’t want to see another road worker murdered or someone’s kid seriously hurt while travelling to school merely because of the carelessness of a fast vehicle,” the driver said.
Beginning on September 9, the new speed cameras will be in operation.