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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Jasper Lindell

Three motorists pinged 12 times in Civic's 40km/h speed zone

A high volume of fines in a new 40km/h zone in the city centre sparked community outrage in July. Picture: Keegan Carroll

Three Canberra motorists received 12 fines each in the new 40km/h speed zone in the city centre in July, the first month fines were issued for the new limit.

Multiple fines were issued to 3279 drivers between July 5 and July 31, while 15,195 motorists received one fine.

There were more than 27,000 speeding fines issued by cameras in the new zone - on parts of Northbourne Avenue, London Circuit and Barry Drive - between July 5 and August 8, which required significant effort to process.

In the first four days of operation with the new speed limit, the cameras detected an average of 391 infringements a day.

Before the speed limit was decreased, the cameras averaged no more than three infringements a day.

ACT government documents released under freedom of information law show the majority of fines were issued to people travelling above the new 40km/h limit but below the old 60km/h limit.

Access Canberra successfully contacted 10 of the 12 ACT motorists who had received three or more infringement notices on any single day between July 5 and July 18.

Budget papers released this week showed the ACT government's traffic infringement revenue would rise "significantly" to $58.9 million from the interim outcome of $26.8 million in 2020-21.

"This is expected to decline in the forward estimates period as we anticipate driver behavioural change," the budget said.

ACT road officials recommended writing to every licensed driver in Canberra to inform them of the new speed limit after speed detections in an amnesty period "exceeded all expectations".

But Transport Minister Chris Steel and Better Regulation Minister Tara Cheyne knocked back the proposal, which would have taken several days to reach motorists and cost more than $370,000.

More than 1200 people signed a petition to the Legislative Assembly calling for the ACT government to drop fines issued in July.

More than 1100 people a week continued to receive fines in the zone in August, which was introduced in March, despite Canberra being locked down and traffic volumes falling dramatically.

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