Gold Coast investigates speed cameras for the water
Boat owners speeding along the Coomera River may one day be pinged by the same technology catching out leadfoots on the roadThe Gold Coast Waterway Authority has called for Queensland’s water safety watchdog to explore laser-based speed cameras as a deterrent for heavy throttle hands on the Coomera River.
The authority this week announced it would reduce the speed limit along 5.5 kilometres of the southern section of the Coomera River to 40 knots for boats up to 6.5 metres in length, and 6.0 knots for vessels larger than that, after a 12-month trial in the region.
It also sounded out a number of ways that it could help “educate” water users about the speed limits, including an education program, more on-water enforcement, new maps, larger speed limit signs, and “new technologies, such as lidar units, for enhanced marine safety through on-water education and enforcement”.
“QPS [Queensland Police Service] and QBFP [Queensland Boating and Fishing Patrol] highlighted practical difficulties with enforcement of lower maximum speed limits (for example, speed limits of 20 knots, a speed that can be achieved and exceeded by many different types of vessels), as well as operational limitations of lidar units within the dynamic marine environment,” a report on the outcome of the speed trial, released today, says.
“It should also be noted that both QPS and QBFP operate patrol boats over 7.0 metres in length.
“They, too, supported the length of 8.0 metres for larger vessels and the speed limit of 40 knots for smaller vessels and PWC.”
Radar technology
The document then says the GCWA contacted two Australian companies specialising in “lidar, radar and camera technologies with capabilities for enhanced detection of waterways speeding offences and other poor on-water behaviour”.
“GCWA understands this technology has been successfully trialled in NSW and Western Australia,” the report says.
“In GCWA’s view, there is an opportunity to work with MSQ [Marine Safety Queensland], QPS and QBFP to consider how this kind of technology could be used to assist with enforcement and monitoring of water traffic.”
The report notes that “speed indicating devices” such as speedometers and GPS-based speed displays “are generally not standard equipment for smaller vessels”, which make up about half the fleet of boats registered in the Gold Coast region.
The report noted many of these smaller boats would not be able to exceed a 30-knot limit if it was enforced.
The report also noted that the lidar technology would also struggle with jet skis and small runabouts.
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