Webcams to "bust" Queensland traffic congestion

Sixty traffic webcams were switched on in south east Queensland this month to give police and motorists greater visibility of busy intersections and roads.

The deployment cost $980,000 and gave the state a total of 137 traffic webcams streaming live vision to its Traffic and Travel Information website.

It was the combination of two projects -- the 50-camera Congestion Management Program in Queensland's south-east region, and a separate 10-camera project in the Metropolitan Region.

Other webcams operated on the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, in the Darling Downs, Townsville, Cairns, Roma and in the Wide Bay region.

Announcing the deployment on Friday, Queensland's Minister for Main Roads Craig Wallace said it was "money well spent".

"Sixty new webcams have now been activated in the south east," he said. "They're the latest reinforcements in our fight to tackle traffic congestion.

"We now have 137 traffic webcams ... alerting motorists to potential hazards, traffic snarls, accidents and delays on busy roads.

"The web cams will save time for people who lead busy lives. They will be able to plan their journey before heading out in the car."

Wallace said the Department of Main Roads had also signed a "congestion busting agreement" with the Queensland Police.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), a police officer would be on duty in the Brisbane Metropolitan Transport Management Centre's control room during peak times to activate emergency services when necessary.

A Transport and Main Roads spokesman said the Government took a "progressive approach to rolling out the cameras as one of many tools to assist the travelling public in making informed travel choices".

"At this point in time, no further cameras are scheduled to be rolled-out," the spokesman said.

"However, the assessments for locations of new cameras is undertaken on an as needed basis and considers such things as high traffic volume, landmarks and places of interest to the travelling public."