WARRNAMBOOL’S only speed and red-light camera clicked up an average $3000 a day in fines during the first nine months of 2013.
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From January to September 3935 infringement notices totalling $850,000 were issued by the camera at the intersection of Mahoneys Road and Raglan Parade in east Warrnambool, near the Flying Horse bar.
The most profitable three-month period was January to March, when 1576 infringement notices raked in $330,000 in fines, ranking it at number 38 in the top 50 cameras in the state.
From April to June 1308 infringement notices were issued totalling $280,000 and from July to September 1051 infringement notices worth $230,000 were issued.
In the 2012/13 financial year the camera ranked 41st out of 284 cameras in the state for the number of infringement notices.
The period from October to December 2011, when the camera was first switched on, remains the highest-grossing, period with $612,000 raised from 3299 infringements issued.
Infringements are captured automatically and sent electronically to the traffic camera offences office in Melbourne, which dispatches notices to the registered owner.
People caught exceeding the speed limit by less than 10km/h can incur a penalty of $180 and one demerit point.
Those caught speeding between 10km/h and 24km/h over the limit face a penalty of $289 and three demerit points.
Drivers who fail to obey a traffic signal — both red-light and red-light arrows — must pay $361 and incur three demerit points.
The Warrnambool camera set-up was installed in late 2009 but was inoperative until early October 2011.
The state government’s Cameras Save Lives website shows there are 63 mobile cameras in the south-west.
According to the website, mobile cameras are used in unmarked vehicles at approximately 2000 locations across the state.
Before being used locations for mobile cameras must have had one of the following — a serious or major collision at the location in the past three years, complaints of excessive speed, identified by Victoria Police to be a speed-related problem site and speed enforcement by non-camera devices is unsuitable.
The website says speed and red-light cameras play an important role in reducing speeds and changing driver behaviour on Victorian roads.
It says locations for fixed camera sites are assessed by a selection committee made up of representatives from Victoria Police, VicRoads and the Department of Justice.