Canberra - Lightning strike delays cameras
A LIGHTNING strike has given some speeding Canberra drivers a month's grace.
Point-to-point cameras on the territory's roads will not start working for another month because cameras were struck by a bolt of lightning during a thunderstorm in December.
The cameras were located near the intersection of Hindmarsh Drive and Mugga Way at Red Hill.
While the destroyed cameras were quickly replaced, the connection between the cameras and loop detector set into the road surface was damaged.
The cameras subsequently failed testing by an independent body earlier this month.
ACT transport regulation acting senior director Brett Swale said the problem had been fixed and now awaited the green light from certifiers Societe Generale de Surveillance Australia before becoming operational in late February.
The certification process will take place in the coming weeks and involves a test vehicle, mounted with a timing unit, passing through the detection points.
The recorded times are then checked to ensure the devices are accurate within a tolerance of 2per cent.
Mr Swale also moved to allay concerns the speed cameras had no margin for error.
Motorists have raised concerns that mid-2006 changes in the Australian Design Standards for speedometers could mean that Canberrans driving early model cars could be slugged with a fine through dodgy readings.
While he could not reveal the margin for error allowed in ACT speed traps, Mr Swale said Canberrans should not fear if they stick to the set limits.
''All traffic cameras in the ACT, including point-to-point cameras, take into account a small margin of driver error,'' Mr Swale said.
''If people drive within the speed limit then they won't have a problem.''
Mr Swale urged motorists to get their vehicle's speedometer checked if they were concerned about faulty readings.