MOTORISTS on Hunter roads are forking out a whopping $10,000 a day in speeding fines issued by speed cameras, generating a hefty $4 million a year for the state government.
UP TO SPEED: Veteran Newcastle driving instructor Phil Burns at the Tudor Street red light speed camera in Hamilton, which generated $408,000 last financial year. Picture: Jonathan Carroll
A Herald analysis of the latest Office of State Revenue data reveals that this financial year, motorists have already paid more than $300,000 in speeding tickets per month.
With four months still to go before the end of the financial year, the figure puts it on track to come close to the $4.38 million sum paid by motorists in 2014/15.
The sting has ignited a fresh round of the revenue-raising versus safety debate, with a veteran Newcastle driving instructor claiming the speed cameras are counter-productive and “do more harm than good”.
“It’s outrageous,” Newcastle Driving School owner Phil Burns said of the windfall.
“In many cases, these cameras are actually causing accidents – they force people to slow down suddenly and you get rear-end collisions.
“Often it’s non-locals who don’t know where the cameras are that panic and hit the brake.”
The biggest cash cow on Hunter roads is the Gateshead camera on the Pacific Highway, situated in a school zone.
source:theherald.com.au
STUDIO 3 NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 