They are the little road safety cameras that could. They went from being the dunces at the worst performing location in Victoria to the highest-earning cameras in the state in the space of just five years.

This heart-warming rags to riches tale begins in 2010, when the cameras were installed at the intersection of Warrigal Road and Batesford Road in Chadstone. It's a reasonably busy spot, taking in Holmesglen TAFE, a Dan Murphy's and McDonald's.

The road safety cameras at the intersection of Batesford Road and Warrigal Road in Chadstone Credit:Craig Sillitoe

Around that time the speed limit along its section of Warrigal Road was reduced to 40 km/h throughout most of the day. But at this point they only lit up when people ran the red light at the intersection.

As a result, they finished at the very bottom of the Justice Department's road safety camera data for 2011-12, nabbing just 21 drivers and generating a paltry $6711.