New red-light speed camera to target dangerous driving in Heatherbrae

newy.com.au – A new red-light speed camera will begin operating at the Pacific Highway and Hank Street intersection in Heatherbrae from Friday 5 December 2025 as part of Transport for NSW efforts to curb dangerous driving.

Transport for NSW says the device is aimed at reducing both speeding and red-light running at the busy junction, which has recorded more than a dozen crashes in recent years, and comes as authorities continue to highlight speed as the leading cause of deaths on New South Wales roads.

Transport for NSW executive director of road safety regulation Duncan Lucas said the camera would target drivers who either run the red light or exceed the limit through the intersection in a bid to improve safety for all road users.

“We know that running red lights can lead to serious T-bone crashes or vehicles hitting pedestrians,” Mr Lucas said.

Mr Lucas said data from existing cameras showed “about 40 per cent of red-light speed camera offences are from people running red lights”, and the Heatherbrae installation was intended to tackle that behaviour “head-on”.

He said the intersection had seen 14 crashes between 2020 and 2024, in which 12 people were injured, two of them seriously.

Lucas linked the local changes to the wider road toll, saying road crashes claimed the lives of 327 people on NSW roads last year, with speed the biggest killer, and argued the Heatherbrae camera was one of the tools available to reduce risk.

Transport for NSW says research shows red-light speed cameras can dramatically cut the number of serious crashes.

“The most recent speed camera review found fatal and serious injury crashes fell by 52 per cent at red-light speed camera locations, and pedestrian casualties fell by almost 70 per cent,” Mr Lucas said.

The Heatherbrae camera will initially operate in warning mode for one month from 5 December, during which drivers detected speeding or running a red light will receive a warning letter rather than a fine or demerit points.

Fines and demerit points will begin applying after that warning period, with Transport for NSW reiterating that revenue from red-light speed cameras goes directly into the Community Road Safety Fund, which pays for targeted safety programs across the state.

Drivers can sign up for alerts about changes in speed and red-light camera locations, including the new Heatherbrae device, via the Safer Roads NSW website.