Police want you to ‘be here for next year’

Inspector Michelle Young said there had been no significant rise in crime in Altona Meadows.

Police are pleading with motorists to take extra care on the roads over Christmas as latest figures show that fixed road safety cameras in Hobsons Bay and Maribyrnong netted $2.2million last quarter alone.

The city of Maribyrnong’s highest-revenue camera, on the corner of Somerville and Geelong roads at Yarraville, produced $260,928 in fines from July to September.

The cameras detect speeding, red-light and unregistered vehicle offences.

Other speeding hotspots were the corner of Geelong Road and Droop Street, Footscray, where cameras recorded $219,293 in fines, and the corner of Duke Street and Ballarat Road, Braybrook, where camera revenue totalled $181,750.

In Hobsons Bay, cameras on the corner of Blackshaws and Millers roads, Altona North, netted $139,705. The breakdown for the Altona North cameras was 300 infringements for vehicles travelling west, and 71 for vehicles travelling east.

Figures on the Department of Justice’s Cameras Save Lives website also showed West Gate Freeway cameras inbound at Brooklyn and outbound at Altona North detected more than 4000 speeding motorists over the three-month period, with fines totalling $985,000.

Hobsons Bay police’s Inspector Michelle Young said fixed cameras should not be an issue for diligent drivers who obey speed limits and other traffic controls.

“It can only take one brief moment of distraction or loss of concentration to put yourself and your loved ones in situations whereby you won’t be here.

“And [you] will be forever missed and remembered with the vacant seat representing you next year,” she said.

“This is not a scare tactic, this is the reality. People won’t think until next season – there’s those vacant chairs that represent our loved ones,” Inspector Young said.