By Casey Neill
Motorists are continuing to see red over a controversial red light camera in Keysborough.
Werner Lieberwirth wrote to the Journal after reading the 7 October story about the Springvale and Cheltenham roads “revenue-raiser”.
“It happened to us – my wife and myself,” he said.
He received a $389 fine and three demerit points after entering the intersection to turn right into Cheltenham Road at 11.46am on Saturday 24 September.
“The arrow was yellow. As we had an extremely slow driver ahead of us, the arrow turned red at the halfway mark,” he said.
“The duration of the arrow is very short there. As the car is in my wife’s name and I was driving, she is very upset about it.
“She has been driving for 60 years and never lost a demerit point.
“As we are part-pensioners it’s a bit hard to digest.”
Mr Lieberwirth’s story followed a complaint to the Journal from Lighthouse Christian Church and College senior minister and president Richard Warner in September.
He called for one extra second on the right-turn green light, and urged other victims of the red light camera to join him in challenging the “revenue-raiser”.
“I’ve got caught about five times in the past two years or so,” he said.
“There isn’t enough time to turn right.
“One more second on the right hand green light is all that is needed to make things reasonable.”
But Road Safety Camera Commissioner John Voyage said driver behaviour and not a dodgy light sequence were to blame for red light camera fines.
He said his predecessor Gordon Lewis investigated the camera and found it operating correctly.
In his report, Mr Lewis concluded that “the primary reason for the infringements that I viewed was driver impatience upon seeing the yellow arrow”.
“Some motorists treated the yellow arrow as an extension of the green, and were ultimately detected entering the intersection against the red arrow,” he said.
Mr Voyage said a red light infringement was only issued because a driver entered an intersection after the light had turned red.
“Some people seem to misunderstand this, and incorrectly think that being in the intersection after the light turns red is an offence,” he said.
Do you think the intersection is fair? Visit www.facebook.com/DandenongJournal or email casey.neill@starnewsgroup.com.au to have your say.
