A Hoppers Crossing woman caught speeding on the Western Ring Road is questioning four infringement notices she has been issued.
Susy Ball said she did not remember seeing any signs indicating a lowered speed limit at the times that a fixed speed camera on the Western Ring Road, near Ballarat Road, recorded her driving faster than a temporary 40km/h road works speed limit.
Ms Ball was snapped driving at speeds of between 59 to 80km/h, in a zone that is usually 100km/h, during the early hours of the morning on four days in June and July.
She is facing the loss of 17 demerit points, $1920 in fines and the suspension of her licence for more than a year.
Ms Ball said that in the four years she had been driving along the ring road to her job in Tullamarine, she had never before received a speeding fine.
She said she understood she should be held accountable for the first speeding fine, but said she felt the other fines should be reviewed due to her good driving record.
But because the speeds she was captured driving are considered “excessive”, the law does not allow for authorities to review them.
“As a result, I could lose my job,” she said. “I need to look after my elderly parents and grandson – but they don’t care.”
In July, Channel Nine reported that several motorists had lost their licences for driving above 40km/h on the same stretch of the road. One driver, who lost her licence for driving at 77km/h on June 26, said she had seen no roadwork signs to signal the lowered speed limit.
When Star Weekly contacted VicRoads, the authority said overhead electronic signage displayed a 40km/h speed limit at several points along the Western Ring Road at the times when Ms Ball was detected speeding.
A Department of Justice and Regulation spokesman said he could “confirm the cameras at the site were operating accurately and in accordance with strict legislative requirements”.
