New Zealand Police would not disclose how many speed cameras were used in the Bay of Plenty at any time. Police operate mobile cameras in vehicles that are deployed to "high-risk crash sites" or places that had problems with excessive speed across the region.
The cameras included a radar system that measured vehicle speed and a flash for night photography.
A police spokeswoman said the drop in camera-issued speed offences could be for a number of reasons, including location and deployment through to traffic volume.
She said road safety continued to be a key priority for police and they "remain committed to reducing death and injuries on our roads".
Tauranga City councillor and road safety campaigner Andrew Hollis said Tauranga drivers were "perhaps starting to grow up" or the data could be a result of more cars causing congestion on the city's roads.
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He said the city had a number of "speedways" including Otumoetai, Maunganui and Hewletts Rds but he believed police were cracking down harder.
"I got a speeding ticket coming out of a passing lane in a 90km/h zone while travelling at 94km/h the other day."
Hollis said that if the data was accurate, it was a huge positive as it showed the "message was finally sinking in".
However, he said a number of variables needed to be considered first, such as how many cameras were on the roads and how they were placed.
He and other campaigners were constantly weighing up whether the city needed new roads or people just generally needed to drive better.
Tauranga City Councillor and road safety campaigner Andrew Hollis. Photo / File
Road safety charity Brake New Zealand director Caroline Perry said that without knowing the number of mobile speed cameras used during the last five years, it was hard to know whether it was a "true reflection of behaviour".
However, she said it did "sound promising".
"People reducing their speeds is always what we want to see."
Perry said most people were "law-abiding citizens" but others "take the risk".
It could be ignorance or simply not paying attention, she said.
Perry said speed usually played a factor in a crash and was a huge part of the outcome, often making the difference between a serious injury and a fatal crash.
"Speed limits are there for a reason."
Last year's road toll in the Bay of Plenty was the highest of any police district in New Zealand and police have previously said speed was one of the most common factors.
There are still far too many deaths on our roads.
Static cameras in New Zealand were mostly phased out around the region between 2015 and 2016.
There was only one in the Bay of Plenty on State Highway 2 between Waitahanui Ln and Otamarakau Valley Rd in Pukehina. This was installed in 2018 due to the area being a problem point for speed and crashes.
Road safety advocate Margaret Murray Benge. Photo / File
Western Bay road safety advocate Margaret Murray-Benge said mobile speed cameras were a "useful social deterrent" but there was still a lot of work to be done.
Although it was positive to see some improvements, she said many communities were still calling for speed reductions in their areas and the problem was "far from over", she said.
On the other hand, she said the congestion on many Tauranga roads, specifically some parts of SH2, meant some people "couldn't move at all, let alone speed".
But this did not stop people from driving a bit faster than they should once traffic eased up, she said.
"There are still far too many deaths on our roads."
