Filenews 20 October 2021 - by Michalis Hadjivasilis
The extrajudicial documents from the cameras of the Traffic Police are postponed for the new year, although the pilot system starts as planned from next Monday, October 25th.
The Minister of Transport, Yiannis Karousos, took it on himself and according to information from "F", considered the one-month period initially given for familiarization of drivers with the photo-labelling system to be short. The data that yesterday within two hours were recorded by the fixed cameras located at the junction of Griva Digenis and Demosthenes Severis avenues in Nicosia, about 500 violations contributed to this.
As Mr. Karousos mentioned to "F", while the pilot phase of the system that includes four fixed cameras and four mobile phones, comes into operation on October 25, the start of complaints for the offending drivers will start from 1/1/2022. We note that initially the Traffic Police had given a one-month grace period to the drivers from the beginning of the pilot phase (i.e. until November 25) in order to familiarize them with the cameras, a period, however, that was considered de facto short.
The supplying company has for days begun the test "complaints" of drivers so many have noticed the lighting of the flash when passing either through the fixed or a mobile camera. However, these are for the purposes of the company's tests and nothing else. It is noted that, as the Transport Minister said, as of next Monday, any driver who is reported by camera will receive by mail to his home a warning letter and not an extrajudicial fine. This practice is included in the familiarization measures, since others will follow, such as a campaign to inform the Traffic Police to drivers about the violations that will be reported.
Yesterday, the Road Safety Officer of the Traffic Department at the Police Headquarters, George Milis, presented himself as reassuring to the drivers saying that these days the cameras are working on a trial basis from the contractor company and no one will receive an out-of-court case.
In the meantime, it is expected that the Parliament next Friday will vote on the bills concerning the operation of the cameras, with the Cyprus Association of Rent Car Owners (G) reacting to the provision that passes the responsibility to them, when a vehicle renter does not pay the extrajudicial from the cameras.
In the first six months, 20 fixed cameras and 16 mobile cameras will be installed, and over the next six months, an additional 66 cameras will be installed.
