Mobile Speed Cameras |
Mobile Speed Camera Survey 2021
I am seeking feedback from the Community on the use of Mobile Speed Cameras on our roads.
From November 2020 motorists in NSW were no longer warned of the presence of mobile speed cameras on roads.
Reflective roadside signs alerting traffic to the speed detection devices were removed.
Warning signs were located 250 metres ahead of and 50 metres after each mobile speed camera car, giving motorists an opportunity to check their speed.
Additionally, since November 2020 the 45 mobile speed cameras currently in use in NSW had their hours tripled under the new laws, from 7000 hours per month to 21,000 hours.
The NSW Government's removal of warning signs for speed cameras is having a huge impact, with records showing a massive spike in fines and revenues raked in.
There had been a whopping 1600 per cent increase in low-range (under 10 kilometres per hour) speeding fines since warning signs were removed last year.
The number of low-range offences ballooned from 1634 a month in March last year to 27,760 in March this year.
Monthly government revenues from the secret cameras had jumped from around $500,000 each month to $6 million.
From November 2020 motorists in NSW were no longer warned of the presence of mobile speed cameras on roads.
Reflective roadside signs alerting traffic to the speed detection devices were removed.
Warning signs were located 250 metres ahead of and 50 metres after each mobile speed camera car, giving motorists an opportunity to check their speed.
Additionally, since November 2020 the 45 mobile speed cameras currently in use in NSW had their hours tripled under the new laws, from 7000 hours per month to 21,000 hours.
The NSW Government's removal of warning signs for speed cameras is having a huge impact, with records showing a massive spike in fines and revenues raked in.
There had been a whopping 1600 per cent increase in low-range (under 10 kilometres per hour) speeding fines since warning signs were removed last year.
The number of low-range offences ballooned from 1634 a month in March last year to 27,760 in March this year.
Monthly government revenues from the secret cameras had jumped from around $500,000 each month to $6 million.
The Case For NOT having Warning Signage
Mobile speed cameras work like fixed speed cameras, but are moved in vehicles from location to location.
Research shows that best practice mobile speed camera programs with sufficient hours, a high number of enforcement sites, unmarked and unsigned operations and highly randomised deployment can deliver consistent, network wide 20-30 per cent reductions in casualty crashes.
This is because they generate an anywhere-anytime expectation of detection, and maximise deterrence of speeding behaviour across the road network, not just at camera locations.
The Case For HAVING Warning Signage
The NRMA is unequivocal on this key point – all enforcement cameras in NSW that tackle speed must have warning signs because warning signs act as an important educational tool to remind drivers to do the right thing.
The warning signs also crucially display the speed limit where they operate, which enables motorists to check their speed. This helps reduce confusion as drivers often find themselves in areas where they may not be aware of the speed limit, or where the speed limit changes frequently.
The NSW Government has pointed to the experience of other states, such as Queensland, that do not have warning signs, as justification for the removal of signs in NSW. In 2020, Queensland recorded 276 deaths on the state’s roads – an increase of 57 deaths on the year before – despite the impact of COVID on traffic volumes.
Mobile speed cameras work like fixed speed cameras, but are moved in vehicles from location to location.
Research shows that best practice mobile speed camera programs with sufficient hours, a high number of enforcement sites, unmarked and unsigned operations and highly randomised deployment can deliver consistent, network wide 20-30 per cent reductions in casualty crashes.
This is because they generate an anywhere-anytime expectation of detection, and maximise deterrence of speeding behaviour across the road network, not just at camera locations.
The Case For HAVING Warning Signage
The NRMA is unequivocal on this key point – all enforcement cameras in NSW that tackle speed must have warning signs because warning signs act as an important educational tool to remind drivers to do the right thing.
The warning signs also crucially display the speed limit where they operate, which enables motorists to check their speed. This helps reduce confusion as drivers often find themselves in areas where they may not be aware of the speed limit, or where the speed limit changes frequently.
The NSW Government has pointed to the experience of other states, such as Queensland, that do not have warning signs, as justification for the removal of signs in NSW. In 2020, Queensland recorded 276 deaths on the state’s roads – an increase of 57 deaths on the year before – despite the impact of COVID on traffic volumes.