'Sneaky' mobile speed camera tactics anger motorists: 'Revenue raising'

People are furious over sneaky and obscured mobile speed cameras around Sydney, which appear to not even give motorists a chance of seeing them.

A Sydney driver sent in pictures of a mobile speed camera to radio station 2GB which appeared to be obscured by a tree.

In the photos, the mobile speed camera car is parked on the nature strip and a warning sign is seen on the roof. The car is parked between two trees and leaves cover the warning sign.

The pictures supplied to 2GB were taken on Palmyra Avenue in Lethbridge Park in Sydney's west.

"If you were driving past – there’s no chance you’d see it," 2GB program host Ben Fordham said on Facebook, accusing the government of "playing gotcha".

The sneaky tactic of hiding the warning sign behind trees angered people on Facebook, with many suggesting this was a revenue-raising tactic.

"When will this nonsense end? It's revenue-raising and has nothing to do with safety," one person said in the comments.

Some people identified speed cameras in other areas which also appear to be obscured.

In 2020, NSW removed fixed warning signs informing motorists there were mobile speed cameras ahead.

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However, after the secret speed cameras collected more than $20 million in low-level speeding fines and a public outcry, the state government decided to bring back the signs.

Instead of having the sign before the mobile speed camera, the sign now sits on top of the vehicle, as seen in the pictures obscured by the tree.

Dominic Perrottet defends camera signs on car rooftops

"People are being caught out, it's too late, they're not seeing the sign on the roof of the car," Mr Fordham said to NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet on Monday, questioning why the signs haven't been reverted back to appearing before the speed camera vehicle.

Mr Perrottet insisted the new way was better, adding that he didn't like the idea of "playing gotcha' with motorists in NSW when the signs were completely gone.

His justification being two-thirds of fatal accidents in the state are related to speeding.

"We're putting them back on top and I think that's a fair way of going about it," he said.

However an investigation in relation to the mobile speed camera in Lethbridge Park is underway, Tara McCarthy, Deputy Secretary of Safety, Environment and Regulation at Transport for NSW confirmed to 9News.

"The NSW Government is committed to ensuring rooftop signs on mobile speed camera vehicles are visible to motorists to provide a warning and allow motorists to adjust their behaviours," she said.

"An investigation is underway into this particular location and Transport for NSW is working with mobile speed camera vendors to ensure rooftop signs are visible during every enforcement session."

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