SA speed cameras could rake in more than $1 billion over next four years

Two new mobile phone cameras in Adelaide’s north-east are expected to collect big bucks from South Australians over the next four years.

The cameras will likely contribute to an estimated $1.1 billion expected to be raised over the next four years.

The financial windfall, which was revealed in the state budget, could include fines from fixed speed cameras, red light infringements and mobile phone detectors.

However, all that money has the opposition asking questions on how it’s being spent.

“It’s a hell of a lot of money, and we want to know where this is going,” Opposition Leader Ashton Hurn said.

“We’ve got a road maintenance backlog of $2.1 billion, we’ve got confusion at school zones right across the state.”

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The government has insisted every dollar gets fed back into the system.

“This idea that we’re not properly spending the money is absolutely ridiculous, all the funds get spent on enforcement of road safety, also on black spot funding,” Road Safety Minister Michael Brown said.

But there are calls for more to be done, with South Australia seeing 50 deaths on its roads already this year.

Once the two new mobile phone detectors are switched on, South Australians can expect more fines.

This is on top of the 80,000 expiation notices the existing cameras issued in their first year of operation.

While $1 billion might be a lot for some, the minister said he would be happy to see it go.

“I’d like to see it drop to zero, because no one’s actually breaking the law, but we have to go with what the realistic models tell us,” Brown said.