More than 10,000 pedestrians have been fined for illegally crossing city streets since a crackdown was launched against the practice in Sydney's CBD, new figures have revealed.

Three years ago, NSW police introduced a motorcycle patrol team across central Sydney; their charter was to target pedestrians who risk life and limb to get to the other side of the road more quickly.

Despite the strategy, police say the dangerous culture remains ingrained at every CBD intersection. In turn, fatalities continue to climb: So far this year, 50 pedestrians have lost their lives on NSW roads – already nine more than the total for last year.

As police were conducting their latest high-visibility blitz on Thursday, new figures obtained by The Sun-Herald revealed 8021 people have been slugged with fines since November 2013 – with double that figure receiving cautions.