[Car Tips] Location and Types of Speed Camera Lenses

📸 Editor's note: Hong Kong's "road photographers" can't just take casual artistic photos

Those cameras on Hong Kong's roads aren't there to capture Instagram-worthy photos; they're enforcement tools , primarily targeting speeding, red light running, bus lane violations, and other traffic violations. While they're often called "speed cameras," there are actually many different types, not just those designed to catch speeders.

1️⃣ Main types of photographic lenses in Hong Kong

①Fixed Speed Camera

  • Appearance <br>Most are large yellow/orange boxes, installed on roadside lamp posts, with a transparent glass window in the front.
  • Function <br>Detects the speed of passing vehicles and takes a photo if it exceeds a certain value (usually the speed limit plus a buffer).
  • Operation <br>In the early days, radar sensing was used, but now it is mostly combined with lasers or induction coils, which has high accuracy.
  • Common locations
    • Qingsha Highway
    • Tuen Mun Highway
    • Tung Chung Road, Tai Po Road (Sha Tin Section)
    • Opposite the Western Tunnel Exit

②Mobile Speed Camera

  • Appearance <br>Most cameras are mounted on tripods, sometimes placed next to police cars or in temporary locations.
  • Function <br>High mobility, the enforcement location can be changed at any time to prevent drivers from "memorizing the location".
  • Common locations
    • Rural straight roads in the New Territories (Fanling Highway, Yuen Long Highway)
    • Expressway exit
    • Long downhill section

③Red Light Camera

  • Appearance <br>A square grey or yellow box, aimed at an intersection, usually installed near a traffic light; the lens faces forward or at an angle.
  • Function <br>Detects vehicles running red lights, and some models also provide speeding monitoring.
  • Common locations
    • Junction of Nathan Road and Argyle Street
    • Multiple traffic lights on Castle Peak Road in Tsuen Wan
    • Austin Crossing

④Average Speed Camera System (commonly known as Section Control)

  • Appearance <br>A pair or more photography poles installed at the starting and ending points of a road section, usually tall and with multiple lenses.
  • Function <br>By reading the license plate and comparing the entry and exit times, the average speed of the entire road is calculated. If you exceed the speed limit, you will be issued a ticket.
  • Current Status <br>It is being piloted in South Lantau and Lantau Link, with plans to expand to more expressways.
  • Advantages <br>Prevent drivers from taking shortcuts such as slowing down in front of the camera and speeding up behind it.

⑤Bus Lane Camera

  • Appearance <br>Usually installed at the starting point or middle of a bus route, for photographing towards the lane.
  • Function <br>Capture vehicles that enter the bus lane during non-permitted periods.
  • Common locations
    • Nathan Road
    • Shatin Shing Mun Tunnel Bus Route Exit
    • Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay

⑥Digital Enforcement Cameras

  • Appearance <br>New high-resolution lenses, sometimes with inconspicuous housings, are mounted on lampposts or high poles.
  • Functions <br>One device can be used for multiple purposes - speeding, running red lights, yellow grid areas, illegal lane changes, etc., can all be photographed and displayed at one time.

2️⃣ Hong Kong camera lens distribution characteristics

  • Expressways : Mainly with fixed speed cameras, such as Tuen Mun Highway, Island Eastern Corridor and Tolo Highway.
  • Urban area : Red light cameras and bus route cameras are densely populated, especially in busy traffic areas (Mong Kok and Causeway Bay).
  • Rural straight roads : You are more likely to encounter mobile cameras, especially on long sections with few traffic lights.
  • Accident black spots : The government will install more cameras based on accident data to reduce risks.

3️⃣ Little secrets of how camera lenses work

  1. Not every camera has film/activation function. Some fixed cameras are just "positioned" on the outer shell, and the components are installed and activated in turn, which makes drivers dare not take risks.

  2. Accurate shooting time <br>The photos will contain information such as vehicle speed, time, location, etc., which is convenient for presentation in court.

  3. Useful at night <br>Equipped with flash light or infrared, the license plate can be clearly imaged even at night.

4️⃣ Editor's Friendly Tips

  • 🚫Don't rely on camera positions to take quick photos : mobile cameras and average speed systems will disrupt your plans.
  • ⚠️Shift gears smoothly : If you decelerate suddenly, the car behind you may rear-end you, which is even more dangerous.
  • 📏Abiding by the speed limit : Speed limit signs are actually determined by road design, curvature, and sight distance; they are not written arbitrarily.
  • 🔍Pay attention to the road coils : Most fixed cameras are equipped with underground induction coils, which form pairs of parallel black traces.
  • 📱Don't trust navigation apps too much : they may not be updated promptly, and you may not know about new camera features.

5️⃣ Editor’s Summary

Hong Kong's road camera system is not designed to earn fines (at least that's what the official statement is 🤭), but to encourage drivers to obey the law and drive safely.
If you have always been "not afraid of the camera because there are no fouls", then in fact you have already won the best game - you don't have to be beaten with beef jerky, and you can ensure the safety of yourself and others.

Remember: the road is not a racetrack, the one who returns home safely is the winner.
You can avoid the camera for a while, but you can avoid accidents forever.

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