Wagga MP Joe McGirr wants speed camera revenue used to fix 'pothole-wrecked' Wagga roads

After months of community pressure, the government announced on Monday a reversal of their controversial decision to remove warning signs from mobile speed cameras.

Minister for Metropolitan Roads Natalie Ward said all mobile cameras will again have warning signs on both sides of vehicles from January 1.

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Dr McGirr moved a notice of motion in the parliament on Wednesday asking the government to acknowledge that it amassed $45 million in fines due to the removal of warning signs.

He wants that same amount put back into fixing our "pothole-wrecked roads".

"The number one safety issue on rural roads is damage from the wet weather, in other words potholes," he said.

"My suggestion is let's take that money and put that towards the potholes ... with the wet weather we have coming, this is going to be very close to a disaster," he said.

Dr McGirr said he put forth the motion to make sure that the money raised doesn't disappear into consolidated revenue now the decision has been reversed.

Wagga-based Nationals MLC Wes Fang, a long-time opponent of his own government's removal of warning signs, said the change is good for rural drivers who depend on cars more than their city counterparts.

He said that Mr McGirr's idea has some merit, but he pointed out that legislation stipulated that all extra revenue raised in the past two years went into road safety measures.

"Funding for roads is very appropriate, but I don't want to see roads repaired at the cost of road safety," he said.

There were 282 fines handed out for speeds of 10km/h or less exceeding the speed limit across Wagga during September, netting the government $44,288 in revenue.

Wagga motorist Craig Cunningham recently told the Daily Advertiser that he was a victim of speed cameras operating "unethically", often parked in hard to spot locations throughout Wagga.

He was delighted at the news and said he will be less anxious driving on Wagga roads as a result.

But he agrees that the money should be reinvested in state roads.

"They've done their backflip, I'm happy with that," he said.

"As long as they put the money they're getting into the roads because there's plenty of potholes need doing.

"It does damage to the tyres, I know you can be reimbursed which I'm in the process of doing ... I'm claiming liability through RMS to get reimbursed for that expenditure of a new tyre."

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