DIY speed camera nabs hoons near Auckland school

An Auckland man who built his own speed camera has captured hoons roaring past a local primary school at more than 150km/h.

Flat Bush IT specialist Peter Lowden's DIY speed trap earned him a visit from police concerned his efforts might spark vigilante justice.

It also created drama among locals on Facebook when some wanted to know the "high score" his system had recorded.

But Lowden said his system was not capable of identifying who the cars belong to.

READ MORE:
* Ohingaiti snapper nabs thousands of speedsters a year
* Get-together is open to everyone
* Cameras capture criminal movements
* Public can work with police in identifying trouble
* Steep Dunedin street nabs 5000 speedsters in four years

Instead, he simply wanted to draw attention to the shocking speeds some motorists were zooming down Gracechurch Dr past Willowbank School, he said.

When he and his partner arrived in the street 18 months ago it soon emerged there was an issue with speeding past their home and the primary school across the road.

He said: "We had a number of cars that would just go flying up the road. 

"It became evident there were quite a few regulars."

Lowden was already knowledgeable in the use of Raspberry Pi micro computers, which cost under $100.

Using freely available code, a $40 camera and fittings made using his 3D printer, he built the cheap speed camera, now trained on the road opposite his house.

The software reads the video feed and knows the distance between pre-ordained points measured by Lowden, thereby measuring the speed of passing cars.

After weeks of tweaking and testing, the system is usually accurate to within 2km/h, he said.

Five or six motorists travelling north of 100km/h were now captured every day in the 50km/h zone.

One was even nabbed doing well over 150km/h, he said.

But his efforts soon came to the attention of police intelligence and, on Thursday morning, an officer dropped by Lowden's home.

Police were worried his photos were capturing licence plate or other identifying information and could spark retribution. 

But Lowden dispelled their concerns.

"I was able to show them that I wasn't able to collect licence plate information.

"I was collecting information more to prove that there's a problem than to identify individual drivers."

Drama also ensued when he posted his findings on a Facebook page and some residents wanted to know the "high score" his DIY camera had recorded.

Lowden said a more advanced version of the system could be effective for police, given its size and because it doesn't trigger in-car radar detectors. 

"It's an $80 computer it's a $40 camera, there's not a lot in this.

"It's completely stealthy."