DEAR Editor,-
Everyone living between Southbroom and Port Edward knows about the little grey box at Bucks Farm Stall – a speed monitoring camera installed on the south side of the road at the end of a long straight downhill.
People even slow down to much less than 80km/h, taxis included, although they still ignore all traffic rules before and after that grey camera.
One can see brake lights coming on before the camera, slowing down to a speed of less than 80km, and many people have already received a speeding fine, even though they know for sure they did not exceed the speed limit.
An elderly woman, who is almost a traffic hindrance because of her slow driving, received four speeding fines this year. One is apparently for exceeding 95km and she has been declared a repeated offender! I received my first-ever speeding fine last week, apparently for driving at 98 km/h? I could honestly declare in an affidavit that I never, ever drive past that grey speed monitoring device at more than 75km.
When paying my annual car license in Margate recently and standing next to the speeding fines queue, it became evident that approximately two out of three people had to pay a fine for speeding at Bucks Farm Stall. Residents feel helpless against such gross authoritarian abuse of making money. There is absolutely no doubt that this speed monitoring camera is not properly calibrated and consequently rakes in thousands of rands daily. Once the holiday season starts and visitors receive their traffic fines as well, it will leave a very sour taste.
Perhaps traffic authorities could calibrate that camera in the presence of someone not connected to the relevant authority who is smiling all the way to the bank. Alternatively, this letter may trigger a general protest by hundreds, if not thousands, of drivers who know they did not speed past that grey box, but nevertheless got a ridiculous speeding fine.
We are not objecting to speed control by any means. But it should not be done in such a way that it becomes a blatant rip-off, milking struggling citizens with faulty speed monitoring cameras.
NORBERT GINTNER
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