Federal government plans to set up new automatic number plate recognition cameras on key freight routes
Australia’s heavy vehicle camera monitoring network is set for an expansion with the federal government promising a $2.24 million package as part of TruckWeek 2016.
The funds, which will head to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), will see the installation of five new automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras on the country’s heavy vehicle routes.
According to infrastructure and transport minister Darren Chester, the additional sites will reduce pressure on freight operators to meet unrealistic time constraints.
“These high-tech monitoring cameras have been shown to be effective and will be in operation by July 2017,” Chester says.
“Each camera site costs between $250,000 and $500,000 to establish, depending on what infrastructure, power, communications and security facilities are already in place.
“This is money well spent in terms of detecting risky behaviour and unsafe practice on the roads, and helps narrow our targets for compliance and enforcement efforts.”
The NHVR is currently looking for the best spots for the cameras, taking traffic volumes and input from the state road authorities into account.
Suggesting the move “will not only benefit heavy vehicle drivers, but all motorists,” Chester says “putting more cameras on the ground is a critical step.”
Also part of the strategy will be a pilot project by the NHVR to link heavy vehicle monitoring networks across South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales.
Monitoring vehicles that traverse state borders, the data-sharing plan aims to paint a clearer picture of Australia’s transport landscape and catch those who try to circumvent fatigue laws.
“The heavy vehicle camera network is part of the NHVR’s broader plans for a national compliance and information system which will support real-time, agency-linked, data-collection used by authorised officers at the roadside and in compliance units,” Chester says.
“National visibility of vehicle movements will allow the NHVR and other enforcement agencies to identify drivers and operators that systematically flout fatigue laws.”