General News
23 February, 2026
Speed snapper: concern camera site adds to risk
POLICE will check the location used for a Loddon Valley Highway mobile speed camera after concerns the approved site could create a traffic risk.
Residents say the mobile speed camera has been at the T-intersection of the highway and Jarklin Road at least twice a week since Christmas.
Jarklin is one of 2000 current sites in Victoria, according to the State Government, used by private operators to set up cameras.
More than two thirds are in country Victoria, including at least a dozen on roads and highways in the Loddon Shire.
Murray Plains MP Peter Walsh, said the “ridiculously disproportionate” number of speed camera cars on regional and rural roads comes as no surprise.
He said it was another example of the contempt the current State Government had for regional Victorians. “The real problem with having so many of these speed camera cars parked along busy, but often narrow, country roads was the safety to drivers as well as the camera operators.
“I have repeatedly seen these cars parked near busy intersections frequented by the increasingly larger trucks on country roads.
“With the decaying state of many of those roads, when truck or car drivers feel they need to hook a bit wider because they are not sure what a car is doing parked on the roadside the accident risk starts to soar.”
“I cannot understand the logic of having almost three to one speed camera cars on country roads when only 25 per cent of the state’s population lives in regional Victoria.”
Jarklin hotel owner Heide Polkinghorne said the car’s location created a potential safety risk.
“Where they are parking is a busy spot for trucks. If they (the Government) are going to set up mobile cameras, at least they could fix the road first,” she said.
Heide said she had raised concerns about the exact location with camera operators.
“They (operators) don’t even come and buy a coffee,” she said.
Victoria’s mobile speed camera network is operated through the Department of Justice and Community Safety.
A police spokesperson said: “Victoria Police is responsible for confirming the list of approved camera locations, taking into account factors such as the area’s crash history.
“The set up of the camera is the responsibility of the contracted camera operator, with photos typically taken each time.
“Victoria Police will make inquiries about the camera location in question to ensure the set up is appropriate.”
According to the Department of Justice and Community Safety placement of mobile road safety cameras is an operational decision of Victoria Police.
“Locations are determined based on the road’s crash history, reports of excessive speeding, identification by police as a location with speed related problems or where other speed enforcement options are impracticable or unsuitable.
“The highest priority locations for mobile road safety cameras are those with a high crash-risk and speed-related problem areas”
A spokesperson told the Loddon Herald on Monday: “Victoria’s road safety camera program plays a critical role in changing driver behaviour, reducing serious injuries and saving lives. Road safety cameras are deployed in locations anywhere in Victoria where drivers are known to speed and the risk of crashes is high.
“We work with road safety camera operators that are both regionally and metropolitan based.”
The Jarklin camera site is one of eight on the Loddon Valley Highway between Woodvale and Macorna. Between Lockwood and Woosang, there are eight locations approved for use by mobile speed cameras while the Wimmera Highway has two sites between Marong and Kooreh.
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