Mobile speed cameras are getting easier to find yet harder to spot in New South Wales.
The State Government announced last year it was increasing enforcement hours, reducing visible livery, and removing warning signs, which it claimed would result in a 20-30 per cent network-wide reduction in ‘casualty crashes’.
It’s led to a dramatic increase in speed camera revenue, with The Sydney Morning Herald reporting fines collected by the NSW Government having increased by 30 per cent since 2019.
The New South Wales government conducts an annual speed camera review to evaluate whether cameras are still effective at improving driver behaviour and reducing crashes.
Speed camera reviews are led by an independent road safety auditor, with involvement from the Department of Roads and Maritime Services, the NSW Police Force, NRMA, and local councils and schools.
Transport for NSW and the NSW Police Force work together to deploy mobile cameras, and the NSW Government says fine revenue is directed to the Community Road Safety Fund.
Fixed cameras are typically installed in areas where there’s a high risk of accidents and where driver behaviour needs to be changed.
In the past, the government has decommissioned fixed locations where there hadn’t been a consistent reduction in crashes, injuries and fatalities.
Last year, offences were recorded at 183 fixed camera locations.
The network of speed cameras also includes 201 combined red-light/speed cameras and 29 point-to-point camera locations, 25 of which are in regional New South Wales on routes known for their high proportion of heavy vehicle traffic.
More are being rolled out on inner-city motorways.
You can view a list of all current camera locations here.
The top five fixed speed camera locations were:
| Location | Number of penalty notices issued |
|---|---|
| Eastern Distributor, Darlinghurst (northbound) | 21,239 |
| Westconnext M4 East Tunnel, Croydon (eastbound) | 17,885 |
| Great Western Highway, Mount Victoria (westbound) | 13,370 |
| M5 Motorway, Arncliffe (westbound) | 9475 |
| Lane Cove Tunnel, Lane Cove (eastbound) | 9271 |
The top two fixed locations each accumulated over $4.6 million in fines in calendar year 2020.
The top five mobile camera locations were:
| Location | Number of penalty notices issued |
|---|---|
| Pennant Hills Road, Carlingford (southbound) | 1573 |
| Penshurst Street, Chatswood (northbound) | 1409 |
| Restwell Road, Bossley Park (eastbound) | 958 |
| Newbridge Road, Moorebank (eastbound) | 879 |
| University Drive, Callaghan (westbound) | 834 |
New South Wales includes the number of red light offences in the tally for combined red light/speed cameras. The top five for calendar year 2020 were:
| Location | Number of penalty notices issued |
|---|---|
| Oxford Street, Darlinghurst (westbound) | 24,837 |
| Gold Coast Highway, Tweed Heads West (southbound) | 18,502 |
| Prospect Highway, Blacktown (northbound) | 12,397 |
| Oxford Street, Darlinghurst (eastbound) | 11,802 |
| Griffiths Road, Lambton (eastbound) | 11,425 |
For a Class A motor vehicle – i.e. a vehicle with a gross vehicle mass less than 4.5 tonnes – the speeding fines are as follows:
| Offence | Fine |
|---|---|
| Exceeding the speed limit by less than 10km/h | $123 and one demerit point (four for learner and provisional drivers) |
| Less than 10km/h over the speed limit in a school zone | $203 and two demerit points (five for learner and provisional) |
| 10-19km/h over the speed limit | $285 and three demerit points (four for learner and provisional) |
| 10-19km/h over the speed limit in a school zone | $365 and four demerit points |
| 20-29km/h over the speed limit | $489 and four demerit points |
| 20-29km/h over the speed limit in a school zone | $609 and five demerit points |
| 30-44km/h over the speed limit | $935 and five demerit points |
| 30-44km/h over the speed limit in a school zone | $1179 and six demerit points |
| 45km/h over the speed limit | $2520 and six demerit points |
| 45km/h over the speed limit in a school zone | $2676 and seven demerit points |
Fines are costlier for drivers of heavier Class B and Class C vehicles.
