Regional residents are being penalised from today under the Minns Labor Government’s average speed camera trial.
NSW Nationals Leader Dugald Saunders raised questions about the plan to target both light and heavy vehicles between Kew and Lake Innes and between Coolac and Gundagai, saying it looks to raise revenue from country commuters.
“Every life lost on our roads is one too many and we will always support genuine investment in road safety measures, but this very serious issue should not be used as a cash grab,” Mr Saunders said.
“If the Minns Labor Government is serious about tackling the state’s road toll, it should look for a broader approach because this issue is not a regional issue but a statewide one.
“We also need a commitment from the Government that a proportionate amount of the revenue from these cameras will go back into road safety upgrades for the communities that are hosting them.”
Shadow Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Dave Layzell, said the numbers just don’t stack up.
“The fact is the majority of the average speed cameras are already set up in regional NSW and adding more just seems to be another example of the Minns Labor Government picking our pockets,” Mr Layzell said.
“If the figures have already improved and if this trial is genuinely about road safety, you have to question why the Government actually needs to raise any revenue from it at all.
“We all want to work towards zero deaths on our roads, but this trial seems to be a very narrow approach to a much larger problem.”
