Drivers infuriated by 'sneaky' police act on Brisbane road
The placement of a mobile speed camera on a busy Queensland road has infuriated residents, with some accusing the police of hiding the vehicle to catch more drivers.
On Reddit, one user posted two pictures of the location of the mobile speed camera tucked in behind a digital traffic sign.
"Not hiding, honest," they wrote alongside the photos sarcastically.
It appears the images were taken on Gympie Road in Kedron in Brisbane's north. The dark van can be seen parked on the nature strip.
The position of the road sign, which someone in the comments said was to alert motorists of roadworks, would make it difficult for drivers to see the camera as they approach it.
"Perfect spot! Nice cover from the sign, and at bottom of a downward slope to grab that extra revenue," one viewer said in the comments of the post.
Despite many having an issue with the hard-to-spot camera, one person offered a simple solution.
"The easy way for this to not be a problem is to you know, not speed... Then it doesn't matter what they're doing," they wrote.
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In Queensland, the location of mobile speed cameras is usually determined by the crash history.
"We select mobile speed camera sites based on strict criteria, with crash history being the primary reason," the Queensland Government says on its website.
Across the state, mobile speed cameras are operated by Queensland Police and according to the state government's Open Data Portal, there are several active speed cameras on Gympie Road in Kedron and one parked mobile speed camera.
The person who shared the photos was not driving when they were snapped — but were walking to the servo for a pie at the time.
The 'Fatal Five' motorists continue to ignore
In a statement to Yahoo News Australia, a Queensland Police spokesperson said there had been 126 road fatalities across the state this year, and unmarked mobile speed cameras were one of the ways they used to prevent deaths.
"We all have to take more personal responsibility for road safety and acknowledge that driving is likely the most dangerous thing any of us will do, and it must be treated with more respect," the spokesperson said.
"The fatal five have earned themselves a place in infamy, as the leading cause of death and carnage on our roads.
"We know speed kills, distracted driving kills, drink and drug driving kills, driving while fatigued kills and not wearing a seat belt kills."
The spokesperson said people are well aware of the "fatal five", yet motorists continue to take unnecessary risks and disregard the road rules.
In NSW, motorists have raised similar concerns about locations of mobile speed cameras.
A Sydney driver sent in pictures of a mobile speed camera to radio station 2GB which appeared to be obscured by a tree.
In the photos, the mobile speed camera car is parked on the nature strip and a warning sign is seen on the roof. The car is parked between two trees and leaves cover the warning sign.
Some accused this instance to be another revenue-raising tactic.
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