Queensland will roll out of three new automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras across the state’s road freight network.
Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Darren Chester said the new cameras would monitor heavy vehicles, boosting heavy-vehicle safety and providing another step towards a national heavy-vehicle compliance network.
“The high-tech monitoring cameras will be used to encourage safer driving practices on our major heavy vehicle routes and freight network,” Chester said.
“The first of three new cameras has been installed at Goodna, with further cameras to be installed over the next 12 months at Barcaldine and near Morven in regional Queensland. The new cameras are being delivered in conjunction with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) and will continue to target safety on key freight corridors and black spots.”
Federal Member for Maranoa David Littleproud welcomed the introduction of cameras near Morven and Barcaldine.
“Trucks and heavy vehicles are the lifeblood of our transport network in the bush,” he said. “The Coalition is heavily investing in upgrading key freight corridors throughout regional Queensland to not only make sure transportation happens efficiently, but also to keep our roads safe.
“Near Morven is a junction between the Warrego and Landsborough Highways and near Barcaldine is where the Capricorn and Landsborough Highways meet. These two areas represent very important transportation connections in my electorate so it makes sense safety is a priority.
“These cameras will be a part of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s National Compliance Information System, which will amalgamate compliance and camera data from states and territories to provide a national set of heavy vehicle–related compliance and monitoring data.”
NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto said putting more cameras on the ground was a critical step towards better data sharing across borders and would reinforce efforts to make Australia’s major freight networks safer.
“As we bring these cameras online, authorities can better detect risky behaviour and unsafe practices by heavy vehicles on our roads, which helps narrow our focus for compliance and enforcement efforts,” he said. “National visibility of vehicle movements will allow the NHVR and other enforcement agencies to identify drivers and operators who systematically flout fatigue laws.”
The NHVR is currently working with other state road transport authorities to identify additional camera sites along the busiest freight routes to maximise heavy vehicle monitoring capability.
In April, five sites along major Australian freight routes were identified and fitted with ANPR cameras, on the Hume Freeway at Wallan, Calder Freeway at Gisbourne, Western Freeway at Ballan, Goulburn Valley Freeway at Murchison and the Princess Freeway at Yarragon.
Each camera site costs between $200,000 and $800,000 to establish, depending on what infrastructure, power, communications and security facilities are already in place.