Equitable Enforcement, Please

Our senior writer is okay with new cameras that measure average speeds, but only if they are also used to penalise road hogs in Singapore.

- Jeremy Chua

LIKE most drivers, I find the presence of speed cameras irksome. 

No, it is not because I don’t want to get caught as I tear up the roads, zipping from one destination to the next with my tyres on fire.

Besides, with so many vehicles today equipped with in-car cameras, that sort of reckless behaviour is easily recorded and reported.

What I find annoying about speed cameras is that their presence immediately causes other motorists to drive well below the posted speed limit. 

The cameras on the PIE stretch near the Eng Neo exit, for instance, cause motorists to drive at 60km/h, despite the sign posted limit being 80km/h.

The same thing happens to me on the AYE. For some reason, I’ve always had the misfortune of being stuck behind cars that pass the speed camera there at 75km/h, despite the limit being 90km/h.

These encounters are ridiculous because they take place even when traffic is free-flowing and the weather is bright and sunny.

Now, in terms of law enforcement, the problem with the current speed cameras (visible or hidden) is that they only capture motorists at a particular spot.