By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
SPEED and red-light cameras are catching fewer suburban drivers in Geelong but they are paying more in fines, according to new figures.
The Justice Department figures show cameras were less busy, capturing 11,209 infringements but slugging drivers a total $3,125,161 last financial year, up almost $703,000.
In 2011/2012 the cameras caught 11,342 infringements with fines totalling $2,422,176.
The year before they detected 14,971 infringements and $2,942,155 in fines.
The city’s biggest trap was at Norlane’s intersection of The Boulevard and Melbourne Rd where a new Bunnings store recently opened, with the intersection’s cameras snapping 3424 times to raise $1.2 million in fines.
In 2011/2012 the site caught 681 drivers who were fined $177,805.
The next biggest fines revenue raiser was also in Norlane, at the intersection of Princes Hwy and Sparks Rd where cameras caught 3559 drivers for $844,000.
South Geelong’s Latrobe Tce and Fyans St intersection was another hotspot, flashing 2826 times for $686,005.
However, Geelong commuters appeared to be learning their speed camera lessons, with fewer infringements leading to a fall in revenue.
Motorists braving the Princes Fwy camera system were snapped 81,860 times in 2012/2013, paying out just over $17 million in fines.
Last financial year’s figures showed the Geelong Rd cameras collected $19.4 million, an increase of $144,082 over the previous 12 months.
The cameras recorded 107,732 infringements, down1931 in 2011/2012.
The trend partially bucked the rest of Victoria, where revenue from speeding fines hit a four-year high because of stiffer penalties, while the number of infringements reached a four-year low.
State-wide $293 million in speeding tickets was generated in 2012/2013 despite a a six per cent decrease in detections on the previous year to 1.3 million.
From 1 July 2012 fines for speeding motorists and drivers running red lights increased from $122.14 to $140.83.
Cameras on Forsyth Rd Bridge on the Princes Fwy at Hoppers Crossing, in both directions, were busiest, flashing 26,035 times and raising $5,374,953 million.
Avalon Rd Bridge cameras at Lara went off 21,267 times for $4,363,042 in fines.
Cameras on Point Wilson Rd Bridge in both directions caught 13,721 drivers, with a total payout of $2,890,689.
