Revenue from mobile speed cameras up millions and expected to keep climbing

Revenue from mobile speed cameras has soared by millions of dollars – and it’s only expected to climb once one significant change kicks in.

The NSW government raked in almost nine times the revenue from mobile speed camera fines in January compared with the same month last year, and it’s set to get worse for motorists with operating hours of the speed detectors set to be tripled.

More than $3.4m in mobile speed camera fines were issued during the month of January, a whopping increase on the $382,000 that were handed out in January 2020.

That is a direct of result of warning signs for the cameras being phased out, which began in December. Warning signs were located 250m before and 50m after each mobile speed camera, giving motorists an opportunity to check their speed.

Mobile speed camera signs started being phased out in December. Source: Supplied

Additionally, the 45 mobile speed cameras in use in NSW will have their hours tripled under the new laws, from 7000 hours per month to 21,000 hours.

It comes after government data revealed that between July 2020 to January 2021, 52,388 mobile speed camera fines were issued for a total of $10.4m.

In the entire 2019-20 financial year, 27,965 fines were handed out for a revenue total of $5.7m.

Revenue from mobile speed cameras has increased ninefold. Picture: supplied

Meanwhile, a massive 153,638 fines have been issued for NSW drivers using their mobile phones while driving within 11 months.

Labor roads spokesman John Graham said the data was proof of a “cash grab on a grand scale”.

“We knew that the state budget predicted that fine revenue would increase by a third this year to $864m. Now we know why. Based on these figures that could be an underestimate,” he said.

NSW Transport and Roads Minister Andrew Constance said the speed cameras were about saving lives. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

However, a spokeswoman for NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance said he had “received advice that up to 43 lives a year would be saved by removing mobile speed camera warning signs”.

“The minister couldn’t ignore that advice. This is about saving lives not revenue raising,” she said.