Locals in a small rural town claim they were almost bankrupted by a single mobile speed camera in the area, with the device responsible for nearly $300,000 in fines in just two weeks in September.
Residents of Malanda, 114 kilometers southwest of Cairns in far north Queensland, have been issued nearly 600 fines between them.
With only 811 households in a community of about 2,800 residents, residents are shocked at how much they have to pay to pay their speeding fines.
Residents of Malanda (pictured), 114 kilometers southwest of Cairns in far north Queensland, have been collectively hit with almost 600 fines
Trainee ambulance driver Lana Miller received nine fines, all of which arrived in the post on the same day, leaving her with a huge bill of $7,000.
The alleged speeding offenses are said to have taken place over a period of five days, including when she was driving along a stretch of the winding Malanda Atherton Road.
Cristy Bonadio, owner of a trucking company, Bono’s Earthmoving, was issued five fines, despite most of the 40 vehicles registered under the company having not been fined in decades.
In disbelief, Ms Bonadio decided to ask others if they had also recently received a series of fines and was stunned by the responses she received from locals.
“So I said to the local social media group, ‘Is anyone ready with a camera and have they received any fines that are questionable?’” she said. The guard.
‘I was amazed at the number of people who responded to it. Literally hundreds.”
Thanks to a single speed camera with serial number 0x0003800B0 placed on Malanda Atherton Road, locals have received a combined total of $282,627 in fines.
The estimated figure was calculated by local MP Shane Knuth, who was inundated with calls from frustrated residents booked by the camera.
During a two-week period in September this year, Mr Knuth racked up at least 580 fines.
Older residents fear their driver’s license will be confiscated due to the high number of speeding tickets they have received.
Like many locals, Ms Bonadio says she is frustrated by the time it takes for each of the fines to arrive in the mail. She says this goes against the policy of ensuring people don’t speed.
Many said some of their vehicles cannot travel at the speed the camera would have caught them at.
This was said by a spokesperson for the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads The guard that the mobile traffic camera was in use between September 7 and 21, 2023.
“The use of effective safety interventions, such as traffic cameras that also free up police officers for other tasks, is a benefit for everyone,” the spokesperson said.
They said there have been delays in sending the tickets to recipients because “each violation is manually reviewed for accuracy.”
“Currently, the law requires that violations detected by cameras be reported by mail to the registered driver of the vehicle.”
‘The deployment data from TRSCs (movable traffic cameras) shows a decrease in the number of violations over the period of deployment, indicating that motorists are adjusting their speeding behavior after seeing the speed camera before any violations are received.’
According to the department, the cameras are independently tested before use and are designed for on-road use.
Ny Breaking Australia has contacted the department for comment.
Residents were shocked to receive multiple fines in the mail, racking up thousands of dollars (stock image)
Tired of individually taking the case to court with a local lawyer in Atherton, Brad Bragg, locals are preparing to file a class action on behalf of several Malanda residents who have received fines (stock image)
The Queensland Police Service Manual for Speed Detection states that speed cameras should not be used on a road that is considered to be downhill, which is the Malanda Atherton road.
Tired of taking the matter to court individually with a local lawyer in Atherton, Brad Bragg, locals are preparing to file a class action lawsuit on behalf of several Malanda residents who have been fined.
He said local courts will not be able to hear individual cases involving the fines.
“If everyone challenged it, the courts – certainly the Atherton court – would certainly be overwhelmed,” Mr Bragg said.
While several politicians representing voters in far north Queensland affected by the issue have raised the issue in Parliament, some locals have already paid their fines.