Data released by police shows just how much revenue was gathered from speeding fines in the first weeks after the Waterview Tunnel opened - it totalled close to $1 million.
Four speed cameras are in operation at the entrance and exit of each tunnel, and they captured 9756 people going over the strict 80km/h speed limit in the six weeks starting July 21.
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That's 9.67 speeding fines per hour - nearly one every six minutes. The 9756 speedsters came from a total of 1,520,767 trips through the tunnel in that period - meaning one in every 156 cars travelling through the tunnel earned a ticket.
The income generated by the speed cameras in that period was a whopping $948,220, but police insist monitoring of the speed limit through the Waterview Tunnel is not a revenue-gathering exercise.
"Police does not receive any of the fines associated with drivers exceeding the speed limit - all of this goes to the Government's consolidated fund," Road Policing Superintendent Steve Greally said.
"Unfortunately, the infringement data released for the Waterview Tunnel shows that a large number of road users are simply driving too fast.
"The speed limit set for Waterview Tunnel is there to keep all road users safe and a crash would likely cause significant harm and traffic disruption."
Police say the cameras reduce fatal and serious injuries resulting from crashes by about 20 percent, and claim that's the only reason they are being used.
"Success to police would be issuing no infringement," Supt Greally said.
Newshub.
