Broken speed cameras in Queensland school zones have issued no fines

The Queensland Government’s trial of hidden speed cameras embedded in school zone signs has gotten off to a stalled start – as a “technical glitch” resulted in zero fines being issued for the first seven months of operation, failing to penalise hundreds of speeding motorists.

The covert school zone speed camera trial – which the state government claims is a “world-first” – started on 23 January 2023 at certain locations in Queensland, with the detection technology installed in existing school zone speed limit signs.

In Queensland, school zones operate from 7am to 9am and 2pm to 4pm. 

During active school zone hours, the speed limit is reduced to 40km/h on roads with a normal limit of 50km/h to 70km/h. 

On roads with a regular speed limit of 80km/h or more, the speed limit is reduced to 60km/h.

When the trial launched in January, Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister, Mark Bailey, promoted it as a way to help to enforce the speed limit in areas with the most vulnerable pedestrians.

However, as reported earlier this week by ABC Radio Brisbane, the Queensland Government has confirmed the school zone speed cameras have not issued any fines since January.

Mr Bailey told the ABC "technical issues" were to blame for the lack of infringement notices being issued, while admitting the failure was not a good look for the state government.

“Seven months and no fines issued to speeding motorists is not good enough, and that is why I asked my department to address this issue as a matter of urgency," Mr Bailey told ABC Radio Brisbane.

According to the ABC, the speed cameras are due to start issuing infringement notices from 7 August – the fifth week of the third school term in 2023, and almost eight months after the covert speed detection devices were first expected to start issuing fines.

While the Queensland Government has defined 24 school sites as “high risk” zones for speeding motorists, there are just six speed camera-equipped school zone signs – which will be rotated between the locations until April 2024.

The Queensland Government estimates the average number of motorists speeding through the high-risk school zones has been reduced from 6.6 per day in February 2023 to 6.3 per day at the end of May 2023, following the introduction of the speed cameras.

However, the non-operational speed cameras have failed to issue infringement notices and fines to more than 700 motorists, based on calculations by Drive using the government’s estimated figures.

Queensland motorists who exceed the speed limit by one to 10km/h face a $287 fine and one demerit point, while those who go between 11 to 20km/h over can be fined $431 and three demerit points.

Between 1 January 2018 to 30 April 2022, the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads reported 70,132 speeding infringements were issued to drivers who were caught breaking the posted speed limit in school zones 

Figures show 36,326 tickets were issued to drivers who exceeded the school zone speed limit by 13km/h to 20km/h – accounting for more than half of the penalties in the 51-month period – while 27,493 drivers were caught speeding by less than 13km/h.