Revealed: The red light speed camera making $7m a year
Sydney's new top-earning speed camera has generated millions of dollars in fines in just months - and no one knows it's there.
The red light speed camera in Sydney’s CBD is on track for a new record to earn the State Government $7 million in one year.
The camera on the corner of Elizabeth and Park Streets has taken the title as the most profitable in New South Wales.
The money earner is getting plenty of competition right across Sydney, with one driver being snapped every minute.
That equates to approximately $4.1 million in a year.
Right behind it on Stacey Street in Bankstown is the $3.3 million earner, followed by a speed camera on The Great Western Highway in Mount Victoria, bringing in $3.2 million.
A camera on The Hume Highway, Liverpool, earns $2.7 million annually, while one at Ryde Road, West Pymble raises $2.5 million.
Across New South Wales, cameras earned well over $185 million last year.
"You've got warnings coming up to a speed camera,” Roads Minister Melinda Pavey told 7 News.
“All the money that is collected, this revenue goes into the community safety fund.
"I don't want the money, and I don't want fatalities on the roads, but the two are inextricably linked - speeding and fatalities."
The cameras are effective at raising money - but not necessarily at stopping speeding.
The latest figures show the monthly average revenue from cameras has jumped since last year.
Ian Luff, from driver training program Drive To Survive said the focus should be on drivers, not their speed.
"The road toll at the moment is horrific,” he told 7 News.
“Speed is one component, but as we know driver behaviour and driver attitudes - they're the big ones."
