Forrest Highway point-to-point speed camera trial hailed success

PIC: Zach Relph/The West Australian

Results from a six-month trial of a point-to-point speed camera zone on the Forrest Highway have revealed a downward trend in speeding vehicles.

The trial started on October 31 and finished on April 30 with early figures revealing a 25 per cent reduction of speeding drivers along a 26km stretch of road between Lake Clifton and Binningup.

Road Safety Commissioner Kim Papalia welcomed the results and said the cameras have acted as a deterrent for speeding motorists.

"Although these cameras have not started issuing penalties against speeding drivers, the data has shown that they already act as a deterrent for speeding drivers," Mr Papalia said.

"Early data from the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) tells us that soon after the cameras were installed, there was a five to six per cent reduction in drivers recorded as speeding within the zone, that equates to around 25,000 drivers."

The figures also showed that out of 500,000 vehicles that passed through the camera zone within the trial period, 35 per cent were speeding.

The drivers were not fined though because it was a trial.

Mr Papalia said there were no crashes within the zone during the trial period.

“That stretch of the Forrest Highway was chosen as the test site for this technology in Western Australia, as it is a known crash black spot," Mr Papalia said.

"The crash statistics since the inception of the average speed safety camera zone provide positive evidence of their effectiveness at reducing speed travel speeds and the reduction of crashes resulting in death and serious injury."

Mr Papalia said the cameras will be activated in a few weeks and infringements will then be issued to speeders.

More from Local News

Fuel Watch
  • 179.9: Ampol Foodary Falcon (Miami Beach)
  • 179.9: EG Ampol Falcon
  • 183.9: Ampol Foodary North Yunderup
  • 184.9: Ampol Foodary Lakelands
  • 185.9: 7-Eleven Greenfields