A Wagga resident has accused the NSW government of bending the rules on mobile speed camera visibility after he spotted one of the cars, and its rooftop signage, obscured by a tree branch.
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Kooringal's Alan Case saw the mobile camera car parked beside busy Lake Albert Road, near the intersection of Lakeside Drive, on Monday and said he believes it was deliberately concealed.
"The signs are supposed to be visible," he said.
"What they're doing is identical to not displaying a sign by deliberately hiding it."
Mr Case said that having cameras in obscured locations was dangerous as drivers may be startled by seeing cameras at the last minute.
"They have it parked further back than they normally do," he said.
"It's a deliberate thing to park right there so the one branch obscures the sign."
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Having seen mobile speed cameras in the exact same spot in previous weeks, Mr Case believes it's a deliberate ploy to catch motorists and raise revenue. "If they can bend the rules, the more they get," he said.
According to the latest Revenue NSW data, there were 418 speeding fines across Wagga for exceeding the speed limit by 10km or under during May, totalling $72,138. Of that figure, $10,401 came from mobile speed cameras on Lake Albert Road at Lake Albert.
Wagga-based Nationals MLC Wes Fang has called for better speed camera visibility since the government removed warning signs in 2020.
The government buckled under community pressure and announced in December the signs would return - albeit on top of the vehicles, not on the road before and after them. The roll out of the new double-sided rooftop signs began in February.
Mr Fang said the images of the car on Lake Albert Road showed an operator that was not acting "in good faith".
"I think it's really concerning," he said.
"I think motorists deserve the opportunity to check their speed before they reach the detection point."
Mr Fang said when people feel that cameras are for revenue raising and not a road safety mechanism, they "lose confidence in the system".
"It's another issue that creates a level of distrust with the government ... there is no excuse for speeding, but I advocate for a speed enforcement program that is transparent," he said.
Mr Fang urged the public to safely take photographs if they see other mobile cameras hidden.
"In this instance I will be sending [the picture] directly to the regional roads minister," he said.
Transport for NSW's deputy secretary for safety, environment and regulation, Tara McCarthy, said camera enforcement was one of the most effective ways to reduce speeding.
"All mobile speed camera vehicles in NSW have bright and distinctive livery and a rooftop sign which is always deployed when the car is carrying out enforcement activities," she said.
"Transport for NSW is working with its mobile speed camera vendors to embed new standards to ensure visibility of roof top signs."
However, she said the vehicle in question wasn't easily visible.
"The vehicle placement does not appear to align with the operational principles for signage visibility," she said.
"We will investigate the image with the vendor and seek further clarification around the enforcement session."
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