Government to fine mobile speed camera blockers

The "Stupid and dangerous" campaign urging drivers to fake roadside breakdowns to prevent mobile speed cameras from nabbing leadfoot drivers is set to be smashed by the NSW government.

The "Block Their Shot" Facebook page calls on motorists to obscure the view of the 45 camera vans.

It features photos of grinning drivers parked behind the vans with their car bonnets up, some with sun umbrellas or towing boats, caravans or trailers, even a cyclist fixing a puncture, in the camera's line of sight.

The campaign has more than 50,000 "likes", up from 28,000 supporters in January.

The site's founders claim the cameras are simply revenue raisers and that speeding offences should be dealt with by the police.

The campaign has more than 50,000 "likes", up from 28,000 supporters in January. The language on the site has also become more aggressive, with camera operators - two private contractors - called "grubs", "privatised parasites" and "money-grabbing bastards".

Close to 150 motorists a day are being booked by mobile cameras in areas with high rates of accidents resulting in fatalities or serious injuries. The NSW government collects more than $1 million a month in fines.

Now roads minister Duncan Gay is getting tough. He has asked the NSW Centre for Road Safety to request the Facebook page's creators to shut down the site.

"If this behaviour continues, I'll have no choice but to ask the department to look at introducing fines for obstructing cameras," Mr Gay said.

"I am appalled that people are supporting such a primitive campaign - it is not cool or funny, it's stupid and dangerous."

The crackdown comes as the number of vigilantes trying to wreck the cameras and threaten operators is on the rise. There have been more than 80 attacks on camera cars this financial year, with objects such as bottles and rocks being thrown.

In Auburn two youths were filmed hurling large rocks at the rear window of a camera van, shattering the glass and causing the operator to flee.

NRMA president Kyle Loades said that while the mobile cameras were there to provide safer roads, they needed to be more highly visible to reinforce the message that the cameras were about safety, not revenue.