NSW average speed cameras come online

The New South Wales government has switched on the state’s new average speed cameras to enforce fines for both light and heavy vehicles.

Since 2011, these cameras have been enforcing only heavy vehicles, but now both light and heavy vehicles are eligible to receive penalties for speeding at two average speed camera trial sites in regional NSW.

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Transport for NSW has previously run a trial on using average speed cameras to enforce light vehicles, with the two month period showing speeding decreased significantly.

The cameras will begin enforcing average speed offences for both heavy and light vehicles on a 15km stretch of the Pacific Highway between Kew and Lake Innes, as well as on a 16km stretch of the Hume Highway between Coolac and Gundagai.

In just the first week alone of the two-month warning period, one in every 122 light vehicle drivers were caught speeding on the Pacific Highway cameras, while one in every 122 light vehicle drivers received warning letters for speeding along the Hume Highway section.

TfNSW says by the end of the seventh week there was a 48 per cent improvement in behaviour along the Pacific Highway and a 37 per cent improvement on the Hume.

The switch from warning letters to enforcement mode at the two locations is the next step in the trial which was committed to following last year’s Road Safety Forum. All other average speed cameras around the state continue to only enforce heavy vehicle speeding.

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