Filenews 16 June 2022 - by Michalis Hadjivasilis
The Contracting Authority sends a warning letter to the company that manages the photo-marking system in order to comply with the terms of the contract, in order for the system to proceed to the next phase. This was decided yesterday at a meeting at the Presidential Palace convened by the President of the Republic to discuss the problems with delays in the extrajudicial service and to provide solutions. Despite the government's message to the company (which is not the first to be sent) the Minister of Transport, Giannis Karousos, reiterated yesterday that the cameras came to stay, wanting to stress that all margins will be exhausted to solve the problems, so that the system can run smoothly. In the letter sent by the Department of Electromechanical Services, five points will be raised that the company must respond immediately, so that by the end of June, which ends the three-month extension given to the implementation of the pilot phase, they will be implemented. Mr. Karousos clarified yesterday that we are not going to go to the next phase if what the government demands from the company is not implemented. The five points raised by the Contracting Authority concern operational problems of the system, faster dispatch of out-of-court settlements and settlement of issues raised regarding the identification of offenders. It is also clarified in the most official way, that an out-of-court settlement should be sent within five days from the time of registration of the violation, as provided in the contract. The meeting yesterday was attended by the Ministers of Transport, Justice, the Deputy Minister of Innovation, the Chief of Police, representatives of the Legal Service and officials. According to statements by the Minister of Transport, in the coming days there will be meetings between the Ministry of Transport, Justice and the company to provide solutions to the out-of-court cases for which their processing is pending. Indicative of the interest of the President of the Republic on the issue, is that before the end of the month a new meeting will be held under the President to decide whether there will be a transition to the first phase of implementation of the system. "The goal is to solve all the problems. Otherwise, the photo-tagging system will remain on a pilot basis ", the minister stressed and clarified that the 11,000 for which the company requested instructions, are not out of court but records of violations made as tests by the company, ambulances, bicycles and vehicles which do not have registration numbers. Mr. Karousos told "F" that in Britain, one in six out-of-court cameras is canceled, while it is estimated that in Cyprus the percentage will be lower. He also added that the highest speed recorded by a mobile camera was 194km and from a fixed speed of 121km instead of 50. Both of these cases were brought before a court. Also noteworthy is the fact that in five months, 7,086 red light violations were recorded by the four fixed cameras at the junction of Griva Digeni and Demosthenes Severis Avenues, a number that is considered too high for a point where drivers know it is controlled by cameras. . We are 3 months behind the contract It is noted that at this time, according to the contract, the system had to be in the first phase and not in the pilot. The relevant contract was signed on 14/12/2020. According to the contract, the pilot phase was expected to be completed within 6 months from the signing of the contract and included the operation of four mobile cameras and the installation and operation of four fixed cameras in one location. In addition, the infringement collection and processing center was set up and operated, from which notices / calls began to be issued and sent to the infringers. This phase will operate as a pilot for 3 months. However, the system was put into a test phase on the 25th of October 2021 and the pilot phase on 1/1/2022. So on 31/3/2022 it should have been completed. Also, the first phase, according to the contract, which will be completed within 6 months from the completion of the pilot phase, ie in 15 months from the day of its signing, will include the operation of another 16 mobile cameras and installation and operation of another 20 fixed cameras in six more locations. The second phase, which will be completed within one year of the completion of the first phase, includes the installation of an additional 66 fixed cameras (90 in total) at a further 23 locations. The infringement collection and processing centre will have the full operational capacity required to adequately provide the required services. The amount of the Contract is estimated at € 34,076,970 plus VAT. € 8 million relates to the supply and installation of equipment, while the remaining approximately €26 million relates to the maintenance and operation
