Mackenzie mayor Scott Aronsen has criticised the New Zealand Transport Agency’s installation of safety cameras along State Highway 8, which runs through his district, saying there are better ways to improve road safety.
By Claire Taylor for Local Democracy Reporting
Aronsen said the two sets of cameras, installed by NZTA between Lake Tekapo and Twizel in March, would do more to increase revenue collection than reduce crashes in the area, but the agency says the cameras were proven to reduce speed in an area where 19% of motorists were speeding.
“It’s a revenue gathering exercise ... there are better ways to [address] road safety,” Aronsen said.
Speeding was not the main issue on the highway, and tourist traffic had reduced average speeds, he said.
“The issue … isn’t speeding.”
Aronsen said he believed a lack of places for motorists to pull-over, and a lack of passing opportunities were contributing to crashes in the district.
“[There’s] more accidents because there’s no shoulder room to move … [we] need more passing bays, signage, rest stops, improvements to intersections.”
He compared the district’s highways to roads in the neighbouring Upper Waitaki, which had wider shoulders and more passing bays.
Camera locations chosen on 'evidence' – NZTA
NZTA head of driving regulation, Chris Rodley, said the cameras had been installed in places based on average speed data.
“We place safety cameras at locations where evidence shows people have been, or are more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash.
“We surveyed speeds on this SH8 Tekapo to Twizel route and found that only 81% of vehicles were keeping to the speed limit,” Rodley said.
He said the cameras had been proven to reduce speeds, pointing to the success of cameras in the Auckland region.
“In the first four months ... compliance with the speed limit increased from 88% to more than 99%.
“When fewer people speed, not only is it safer, it means fewer speeding tickets are issued.”
Aronsen also raised concerns about the type of information being collected by the cameras.
“What else do they do? Do they take photos? ... Do they record details of vehicles being registered?
“What depths do the cameras capture,” Aronsen asked.
According to NZTA’s website, the cameras work by measuring the average speed of a vehicle from one camera to the other, capturing images as vehicles pass through.
Godley confirmed images were taken of every vehicle travelling through the camera area.
“[They] take pictures of every vehicle that passes the camera, but only certain information is collected, and for the purpose of recording speeds and issuing fines.”
That included licence plates, date, time and location, direction and lane information, and digital vehicle images, with non-speeding vehicle images deleted after three days.
Godley said all revenue from speeding fines went into the Government consolidated fund, not to NZTA.
Aronsen’s criticism of NZTA’s cameras comes just weeks after he met with the Chinese Consulate to discuss a range of issues, including road safety.
The consul raised concerns that Chinese tourists were accustomed to very different driving conditions than those in the Mackenzie, prompting discussions about road safety campaigns.
The consul also thanked Aronsen for the district’s timely and compassionate response to bus crashes involving Chinese visitors in 2024.
Around the same time, NZTA announced a $5 million road safety investment in the Mackenzie, which saw pull-over areas built on State Highways 8, 79 and 80.
Rest areas, road widening, passing lanes and safety signage, including “Traffic behind you? Let it pass”, were also introduced.
- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
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