More faults found' in NSW speed cameras

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December 18, 2006 - 8:35PM

Motorists in Sydney may have fresh grounds to appeal against speeding fines following reports that hundreds of faults have been found in the city's speed cameras, a lawyer says.

But the NSW Road and Traffic Authority (RTA) denied any speeding tickets had been wrongly issued as a result.

A total of 568 faults were discovered during 7,500 tests on Sydney's 117 fixed speed cameras over the past year, Nine Network has reported.

The speed cameras were also shut down nearly 200 times for reasons including equipment faults, power outages, flash failure and out-of-focus photographs, it said.

Lawyer Dennis Miralis said it called into question the accuracy of speeding enforcement, adding that the cameras were "not invincible".

"We are talking about tens of thousands of motorists who are affected by these sorts of problems, which the RTA now are publicly acknowledging could lead to the improper issuing of a ticket," he told Nine Network.

RTA spokesman Alec Brown said the high number of faults recorded was a sign of how rigorous the testing regime was.

He denied any drivers had incorrectly been given a speeding ticket because of technical faults with the cameras.

"No maintenance issues led to any speed measurement errors in the last year," he told Nine Network.

The RTA could not be reached for further comment on Monday night.

© 2006 AAP