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Newcastle Herald

National

Sage Swinton

Lockdown spike for several fixed speed cameras

Hunter Pacific Highway Peter Khoury

SNAPPED: A speed camera on McCaffrey Drive at Rankin Park caught a spike in offences during last year's lockdown. Picture: Simone De Peak

Some of the Hunter's fixed speed cameras recorded more monthly speeding offences during last year's lockdown than any other month of the year.

Cameras stationed each way on McCaffrey Drive at Rankin Park caught their highest number of drivers for the year in August and September respectively, according to data from Revenue NSW.

The eastbound direction captured 37 infringements in August, a 27 per cent increase on the next highest months, while there were 59 drivers sprung by the westbound camera in September - slightly more than the 57 offences in the next highest month of March.

The camera on the New England Highway at Lochinvar in the eastbound direction picked up 250 speeding fines in August - 46 more than October, which was the next highest month.

The southbound camera on the Pacific Highway at Sandgate recorded its highest number of offences in August with 45, more than double that of the same month the year before.

But overall the Hunter's fixed and red light speed cameras are on track to gather less revenue than the previous calendar year.

From July to December last year, there was $3,153,906 in fines collected from the 17 camera locations in the Hunter.

This is down from $3,803,858 in the corresponding period in 2020 and $6,954,016 across the entire 2020/21 financial year.

Locations for cameras are based on criteria that predominately looks at crash history and includes information from NSW Police as well as nominations from the community, according to Transport for NSW.

ROADS: NRMA's Peter Khoury said those caught by fixed cameras have sped in dangerous spots. Picture: Sylvia Liber

NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury said there were not as many cars on the road as usual last year due to the lockdowns, which had contributed to NSW recording its lowest annual number of deaths on the road in nearly a century.

"We've been very careful not to celebrate the low road toll because of the traffic volumes," he said.

"Even after lockdown there were still not the traffic volumes. People were adjusting their travel habits."

So the fact that some Hunter cameras were still recording high numbers over this period meant he had little sympathy for those caught by the stationary speed detectors.

"These cameras go into dangerous locations," Mr Khoury said. "Anyone caught speeding in those areas is speeding in a dangerous location.

"Fixed speed cameras have warning signs. They've been given an opportunity to check their speed and have chosen not to."

He said there were still worrying spikes in the death toll outside of the lockdown period, and deaths in 2022 is were already up on the same period last year.

"For example, December had a 50 per cent increase on December from the year before," Mr Khoury said.

"Unfortunately the majority of deaths occur outside of Sydney, so in regional areas.

"All factors point to the need for people to adjust their behaviours.

"We can build the best roads in the world, have police on every corner, have cameras everywhere, but if people are going to keep taking risks unnecessarily, we're going to keep getting bad outcomes for the community."