Huge change coming to speed cameras in NSW

Speed cameras on two major highways in one state are set to undergo a huge update in a bid to stem the state’s road toll.

NSW drivers will soon need to keep a closer eye on their speedometers, as speed cameras on two major highways be upgraded in an attempt to improve road safety.

The updated cameras will measure the average speed of motorists on a 15km stretch of the Pacific Highway between Kew and Lake Innes, and along 16km of the Hume Highway between Coolac and Gundagai.

Unlike fixed cameras, which capture a vehicle’s speed at a specific moment, average speed cameras measure how fast a car is travelling from point-to-point.

The two locations have been selected due to their extensive crash history.

There were a combined total of six fatalities and 33 serious injuries between 2018 and 2022 at these locations, according to the NSW government.

The average speed cameras are currently in operation on those stretches of the Hume and Pacific Highway, but only enforce speeding offences for heavy vehicles, such as trucks and tippers.

Motorists travelling on stretches of the Hume and Pacific Highway have been warned to keep an eye on their speedometer with changes to cameras coming into effect from May 1. Photo by: NCA Newswire /Gaye Gerard

However data showed that from 2018 to 2022, almost 80 per cent of all fatalities and serious injuries across all existing 31 average speed camera lengths in the state did not involve a heavy vehicle.

The findings prompted the government to update the system to monitor cars, vans and other light vehicles from May 1.

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said her office was determined to bring down the road toll in regional NSW.

“Regional NSW is home to a third of the population but is where two-thirds of all road deaths happen,” she said.

“With the majority of road trauma occurring in our regions, we have chosen two regional locations to test the impact these cameras could have on road safety for all road users.

“I know this trial will be a change, particularly for regional people who travel through the areas where these two camera lengths are in place, which is why we are committed to ensuring that the community is aware of what we are doing.

“We will have a communications strategy in place including the use of print, radio and social media as well as variable messaging signs and mobile billboards to help communicate the trial details to drivers and riders.”

NSW Minister for Regional Roads and transport, Jenny Aitchison, said the updated speed cameras are one way the government is attempting to minimise the road toll on regional roads. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Simon Bullard.

NSW is currently the only jurisdiction that uses average-speed cameras to exclusively target heavy vehicles.

The trial brings the state in line with Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia, where the system has been successfully targeting all motorists on specific lengths of road.

Tasmania and the Northern Territory do not currently use point-to-point speed cameras.

For the first two months of the trial, speeding drivers on the Hume and Pacific Highways will be let off the hook as part of a “60-day warning period”, and will only receive a caution via a letter.

The system will switch to “full enforcement mode” from July 1, with drivers to be hit with fines and demerit points.

The NSW government will report back to parliament on the outcomes of the trial in 2026.

Originally published as Huge change coming to speed cameras in NSW