news Mobile speed cameras ‘most beneficial element’ of road safety camera program According to ACT Policing, the instances of speeding on ACT roads has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March this year, they have issued 1,650 infringements for speeding, 44 of those for driving in excess of 45km/h above the speed limit. Earlier this month, two men were stopped by police on Majura Parkway for driving at dangerous speeds well higher than 45km/h above the limit within two hours of one another. While instances of speeding are up lately across Canberra, it’s nothing new for Majura Parkway. Since opening in April 2016, ACT Policing have issued 829 speeding infringement notices along the arterial road; ranking it the fourth highest in that time behind Gungahlin Drive, William Hovell Drive, and Belconnen Way. ACT Policing has attended 43 collisions on the Majura Parkway between 2016 and 31 May 2020. The Hindmarsh Drive point-to-point speed camera has proved effective at reducing speed and crash numbers along that stretch of road. The 2019 Evaluation of the ACT Road Safety Camera Program estimated it saves 13 reported crashes annually. So why haven’t similar systems
been rolled out across the ACT? An ACT Government spokesperson told Canberra Weekly that The 2019 Evaluation found mobile speed cameras were “the most beneficial element” of the ACT road safety camera program, having reduced crashes by 22% in a 12-month period. In the last 12 months to 22 June 2020, a mobile camera van was positioned on Majura Parkway 212 times and monitored traffic for over 280 hours. In that time, over 241,660 vehicles were checked with 1,526 vehicles detected speeding. “Mobile speed vans have been used extensively on the Majura Parkway in order to reduce speeds and crashes across the network,” they said. The deployment of mobile speed camera vans across the ACT is based on crash history, police information, and the “anywhere, anytime” approach. The 2017 Feasibility Study into the Relocation of a Point-to-point Camera System by ARRB Group ranked Majura Parkway the most suitable new site for a point-to-point camera system in the ACT. However, The 2019 Evaluation found one additional point-to-point camera system could
ACT Policing have issued 829 speeding infringement notices along Majura Parkway since it opened in April 2016, ranking it the fourth highest in that time period. Photo: Denholm Samaras
potentially save 0.8 casualty crashes and 9.6 property damage only crashes per year. It posited that resources would be better targeted towards a 25% increase in operational hours of the mobile speed camera program, which was found to save 9.0 casualty crashes and 140.5 property damage only crashes per year. “This strategic analysis supports the Government’s focus on expanding the mobile camera program ahead of additional fixed cameras,” the spokesperson said. - Denholm Samaras
National Gallery of Australia to cut 10% of staff The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) is expected to lose about 10% of their workforce, or about 30 staff, to deal with a funding shortfall. NGA Director Nick Mitzevich said the process will begin with an initial voluntary redundancy process, “before skills and roles are mapped against the new plan, organisational capabilities, core services and resources”. Announced on Tuesday 23 June, the job cuts come as the NGA plans to reshape and restructure its operations with the objective of both modernising the Gallery and securing its long-term organisational sustainability. The new structure is designed to focus the Gallery’s programs and create greater opportunities for the Australian and international community to engage with the national collection beyond its physical presence in Canberra. “We, like every arts and cultural institution, have to look to create a future where we can sustainably deliver on our mandate,” Mr Mitzevich said. “We have needed a plan that will both improve and protect the Gallery’s long-term offering and our financial stability. Inevitably, that means change.” 6
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The union representing NGA employees, the Community & Public Sector Union (CPSU), said the Gallery is struggling with rising utility costs, building maintenance, falling interest rates and the ongoing efficiency dividend implemented by the Federal Government. The pre-existing budget woes have been exacerbated by COVID-19 with 80% of the NGA’s audience traditionally coming from outside Canberra. CPSU Deputy National Secretary, Beth Vincent-Pietsch, said national institutions are struggling to cope under the pressure of years of budget cuts. The CPSU is calling on the Federal Government to exempt Australia’s cultural institutions from the efficiency dividend and restore funding to the Gallery. “The NGA is a much-loved part of our national identity. It is one of the keys to our cultural memory and understanding. More than that, it has a legislated mandate to collect, exhibit, and restore the very best of Australian and international art. This government’s underfunding is crippling the NGA’s capacity to meet its mandate.”
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr also expressed disappointment about the job losses and said further support is needed for national institutions. “Rebuilding our tourism industry is an important component of Canberra’s Recovery Plan. Our tourism industry contributes over $2.5 billion a year to our local economy and employs tens of thousands of Canberrans,” Mr Barr said. “Supporting our national institutions is fundamental to this recovery. These institutions collectively bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to Canberra each year, and the ACT Government has proven a track record of significantly supporting them through our Major Events Fund.” Mr Barr was especially critical that “when the Commonwealth can fund $500 million for the redevelopment of the War Memorial, there should not be job losses in other institutions”. He said the ACT Government has provided advice to the Commonwealth on ways that the institutions could raise more income and avoid situations where people have to lose their jobs. Allowing them to retain the parking revenue they receive is one practical example.
