This week motorists noticed dozens of cameras and black boxes sprouting up on roads across the region.

Theories and rumours about what the cameras were installed for ran rampant. 

Questions about the use of cameras by Tasmanian Police to monitor drivers were rejected, with police saying they were not at all involved in the program. 

Concern about the cameras prompted Infrastructure Minister Rene Hidding to assure motorists the technology had already been used in Tasmania.

The temporary number-plate recognition cameras were installed by the Department of State Growth around Launceston to collect information about commuter travel patterns.

“The government is committed to ensuring our road network operates as efficiently as possible,” he said. 

“This is contemporary traffic management planning activity that has been underway for some time in the south using Bluetooth recognition technology and is only used by the department for traffic management, not for any other purpose.”

He said the the cameras would allow the department to assess the affect major developments had on traffic flow and to update long-term traffic network modelling.

While it was initially suggested by state growth the cameras would be present for two weeks, Mr Hidding said they would remain until Thursday this week.