Filenews 14 July 2021 - by Michalis Hatzivasilis
In Cyprus recently came the first four mobile cameras out of a total of 120 fixed and mobile that will start to be installed from next October with a horizon of two years.
Yesterday, the American company that undertook the project began for the first time to train the operators of mobile cameras. As the Assistant Head of the Traffic Department, Haris Evripidou, who works with the supplier company for the purpose of operating the photo-labelling system, told "F", in recent days trainers have come from the USA, Germany and Britain who will train operators on how mobile cameras work.
As Mr. Evripidou explained, a total of 20 mobile cameras will be operated by individuals who cooperate with the contractor, after consultation with traffic police. In other words, he said, The Traffic Police will give the supplier a daily schedule of where it wants the mobile cameras to be and it will send the operators to set them up on the side of the road. Drivers will be checked in the presence of a member of the Police, after being informed by street markings, of the existence of cameras.
According to the Assistant Traffic Officer, from next September, driver checks from both the four mobile cameras and the four fixed vehicles are expected to begin informally. Although drivers' infringements will be recorded, they will not be reported. However, from the end of October, and after a major campaign to inform drivers, the implementation of the pilot phase will begin, when offenders will be sent out of court. According to Mr Evripidou, because out-of-court proceedings, which are not an end in itself, will be served on offender drivers by the managing company, the relevant legislation will be requested to be amended to cover performance issues.
It is noted that the first four fixed cameras will be placed at the junction of Griva Digeni and Demosthenes Severis Avenues, where the first cameras were installed 13 years ago, which are still "hanging". The company that had installed them was notified to remove them in order to install the new ones. Traffic estimates that the implementation of the system will greatly reduce serious and fatal accidents.
