Stoner brings back room for error on speeding

"The NSW Liberals and Nationals government doesn't want to punish safe drivers who try to do the right thing.''
"Mr Stoner said that he simply wanted to bring consistency to what were ''confusing speed limits'' in NSW."

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/stoner-brings-back-room-for-error-on-speeding/2120126.aspx?src=rss
ALEXANDRA SMITH
31 Mar, 2011 10:47 AM

In one of his first acts as Deputy Premier, Andrew Stoner has not only ordered the Roads and Traffic Authority to reinstate the leeway given to speeding motorists, but he has asked for it to be increased.
Mr Stoner met the RTA chief executive, Michael Bushby, on Tuesday and directed him to axe a Labor cabinet decision to remove the leeway, which would have allowed motorists to be fined for exceeding the limit by just 1km/h.

A Keneally cabinet document leaked days before the state election last weekend revealed the previously secret tolerance was 3km/h, but that the budget committee of cabinet had endorsed its removal.

Mr Stoner, who is expected to be sworn in as roads minister this week or early next week, would not say what the tolerance was but he confirmed it had been increased.

The RTA had always kept the tolerance secret, although there has been an assumption that it was about 10 per cent of the speed limit to allow for faulty speed cameras or speedometers.

VOTE: How much room for error should be given to speeding drivers?
Police have warned that a new set of tyres or the width of a speedometer needle could put motorists over the speed limit under zero tolerance.

While NSW has always fiercely guarded its tolerance, the Victorian government revealed in 2007 that its level was 2km/h for fixed speed cameras and 3km/h for mobile speed cameras, plus a discretionary tolerance.

It is believed that Mr Stoner would have pushed for the tolerance to be at least 5 per cent, if not slightly higher.

The Deputy Premier said the Coalition government was eager to bring an end to needless revenue-raising.

''The NSW Liberals and Nationals are determined to restore commonsense to government in NSW - this is one practical step towards that,'' Mr Stoner said.

''We are determined to earn the trust of motorists by focusing on road safety, not revenue-raising. The NSW Liberals and Nationals government doesn't want to punish safe drivers who try to do the right thing.''

Mr Stoner also promised to ask the Auditor-General to investigate speed cameras and will audit speed limits - which road safety experts criticised, warning that increasing rural speed limits will mean more deaths on the roads.

Mr Stoner said that he simply wanted to bring consistency to what were ''confusing speed limits'' in NSW.