Speed camera locations at Yamba, Ulmarra register sharp rise in fines

You’re on camera, but you won’t be smiling after a sharp rise in speeding detections over the past few months. Two places across the Clarence Valley had massive jumps in the number of fines given by mobile cameras

A determined effort to decrease speeding drivers in the Clarence Valley has resulted in a steep rise in speed camera fines being issued in the past two months.

Figures released by NSW Revenue show that a mobile speed camera on Yamba Road caught 406 drivers in July, costing them more than $76,735 in fines.

It was a massive increase on previous months, with just one driver caught in June, and only 18 drivers in total dating back to 2015.

In Ulmarra, a mobile speed camera has caught more than 10 times the number of drivers in June and July than they did in previous months.

The NSW government installed a fixed speed camera at the entrance to the Ulmarra Village in 2018 after community pressure.

It initially caught more than 1000 speeding cars a month, but that has fallen to about 400 in June and July.

Transport for NSW deputy secretary Tara McCarthy said changes to the mobile speed camera program began rolling out in November last year.

“The purpose of mobile speed cameras is to provide a network wide deterrent where motorists can be caught anywhere any time and adjust their driving behaviours as a result,” she said.

“Both play an important but different role in deterring drivers from driving at inappropriate speeds.”

Transport for NSW said additional enforcement hours were now being rolled out and the program would be operating at 21,000 hours per month by the end of the year.

A hand-painted sign warns of a mobile speed camera.

Since 2018, $14m from speed camera fines had been spend on safety upgrades in the Clarence Valley.

All mobile speed camera locations are published on the Centre for Road Safety website: https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/speeding/speedcameras/current-locations.html