Speed camera trailers hit by vandals 18 times in first year of service
Words: Andrew Sluys
The ten speed camera trailers rolled out by the government to keep New Zealand’s speeders in check have been vandalised 18 times in their first year of service.
This data comes from Newstalk ZB, who requested the statistics under the Official Information Act.
The report states the cameras had fallen victim to graffiti eleven times, one trailer had its tyres slashed, and other trailers had been damaged in different ways a further six times.
According to the New Zealand Transport Association, these repairs are part of the contract with Acusensus, who supplies the trailers.
Interestingly, most reports of trailer vandalism have come out of the Manawatū-Whanganui, Waikato and Canterbury regions.
Auckland and Southland have only had one case reported each.
Speaking on the vandalism, AA road safety spokesperson Dylan Thomsen didn’t sound too surprised, as it is something that comes with new enforcement methods.
“I can think back and remember when fixed cameras were first introduced and there was a period of vandalism and attacks on the cameras but then people got used to them.”
Thomson said the camera-trailer units were built to be strong and withstand damage.
“They’re not flimsy, fragile or easily damaged but that doesn’t mean we want people trying to break them.”
Despite the vandalism, none of the camera trailers have been decommissioned, and all ten are reportedly still in use.
