Court SimonSIMON COURT (ACT): Thank you Mr Chair. Minister Parker the concept of average speed monitoring across the transport network sounds fantastic in principle. Across the Auckland Wellington and other metro networks average speed monitoring would reveal that off peak it's possible to drive on the State highway network in particular at the posted speed limit whether it's 80 or 100 or in very very special cases 110 kilometres an hour.Now Dr McDowall I don't know—have you ever looked at your dashboard have you looked at—Dr James McDowall: Oh all the time.SIMON COURT: He looks at it all the time as part of his safe operation of a motor vehicle. I think my speedo goes up to 280 kilometres an hour. Dr McDowall what does yours go up to?Dr James McDowall: More than that.SIMON COURT: Even more than that. But 110 Minister we would accept—we would accept. This is not Germany; we don't have autobahns. This is not Italy; we don't have the autostrada or in France l'autoroute. But what we do have are motorways designed to 100 in the urban environment or 110—those new motorways designed to 110 which are actually outside the urban environment. Who knew? Building motorways to a much higher standard the further you get from town—it's almost counterintuitive Minister.But let's assume that average speed monitoring is a good idea. Minister imagine that not just monitoring average speeds for compliance or for the purpose of identifying who is infringing against the speed limit but to determine whether average speeds are acceptable from an efficiency point of view. All of these roads which are currently subject to policing enforcement of course—what day is it Dr McDowall what's the date?Dr James McDowall: I believe it's still Tuesday.SIMON COURT: It's Tuesday 29 August. I think because it's getting towards the end of the calendar month just about every traffic enforcement officer is out there on the network trying to issue tickets in the last few days of the month. So clearly the time of the month the time of day matters. But it matters more to motorists who want to get around the network at a decent clip when roads designed for 100 110 80 60 whatever it is are congested Minister.So will this equipment Minister be used to monitor congestion? Will it be used to identify where roads are overloaded with traffic and potentially where congestion charging or new capacity is warranted? Where motorists who fully expect to enter the road network and travel at the posted speed limit to get to their destination—whether they're taking their kids to sport or school whether they're a truck driver with a load of aggregate or a load of sand in the back going to a construction job—will these cameras Minister help the road corridor operators the road controlling authorities identify where congestion is occurring and therefore what measures are necessary to alleviate that congestion so motorists who want to travel at the posted speed limit who are prepared to pay a congestion charge—CHAIRPERSON (Greg O'Connor): I think we're drifting a little bit here Mr Court if you'll excuse the pun.SIMON COURT: Well I mean Mr Chair to be honest how this appears to the average punter is that the Minister's proposing to tax people or fine people driving over the speed limit even though a whole lot of Kiwis would be prepared to pay a congestion charge simply to travel at the posted speed limit. I mean if someone said Oh you might get ticketed 100 or 200 bucks for travelling over the limit but you could pay 100 or 200 a month to travel at the speed limit all the time." Minister that sounds like nirvana to a whole lot of Kiwis who might have driven on l'autoroute or the autostrada or "fahren fahren fahren down the autobahn". Minister tell us: will these cameras help Kiwis get around or are they simply another revenue-gathering tool?"