Skyrocketing mobile speed camera fines are being investigated by a NSW government committee.
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The Joint Standing Committee on Road Safety is looking at recent changes to the mobile speed camera program, which saw the removal of warning signs.
"This inquiry will help us to gain insights into how mobile speed camera enforcement protects road users," Committee Chair Lou Amato said.
"We want to know what the community thinks about these changes in terms of how they promote and improve road safety.
"We also want to consider how the revenue from speeding fines is spent as part of the ongoing funding of safety initiatives."
The committee will investigate the evidence the signs' removal would result in a reduction in fatalities and serious injuries and the impact on revenue generation.
The changes were introduced in December last year after Transport and Roads Minister Andrew Constance said the move was about "changing culture and changing behaviour".
"No warnings signs mean you can be caught anywhere, anytime and we want that same culture around mobile speed cameras," Mr Constance said.
In the Illawarra, the change saw a massive spike in revenue, with fines in some locations climbing by 6000 per cent.
In December 2020, the first full month under the new rule, the mobile speed camera located at Rothery Street in Bellambi caught 35 speeders, up from just one a month earlier.
The revenue from that camera jumped from $121 to $8379 - a 6824 per cent increase.
A Transport for NSW spokeswoman said the number of speeders caught was expected to drop once motorists got used to the new rule.
Labor's spokesman for Roads John Graham said the Wollongong electorate was one of the worst hit by the increase in mobile speed camera revenue.
The electorate's revenue figure of $693,496 to March this year was the third highest in NSW - with the top two electorates based in Sydney.
He claimed revenue would continue to rise due to plans to increase the mobile speed cameras' hours of use.
He appreciated the cross-party support for the committee investigation.
"This inquiry gives everyone a chance to look at the impact of these changes on drivers," Mr Graham said.
"We know people have lost licences and livelihoods as this secret camera program ramps up.
"These changes impact drivers who are on the road all day - truckies and tradies, or people living in the bush or the suburbs who don't have public transport options.
"They are more likely to be fined, and if they lose their licence, they are more likely to lose their job."