Filenews 10 November 2022 - by Michalis Hatzivasilis
There have been 65,000 out-of-court documents sent to drivers to date following complaints from the photo-tagging system, while several thousand others are waiting for either a shipment or a clean-up.
Most of the extrajudicial cases concern exceeding the speed limit either at the fixed point where cameras operate, or by the four mobile phones. Today, almost eleven months after the normal operation of the eight cameras, their turn signals continue to report some 450 drivers every day for various offences, but mainly for speeding.
For the first time, the contractor company has given to the Traffic Department the details of the violations recorded by the cameras. The important thing is that the main problems that occurred until the implementation of the first phase of the system have in fact been overcome and the extrajudicial ones after their settlement are sent to the offenders in a relatively short time.
According to data provided to "F" by the assistant director of the Traffic Department Haris Evripidou, since the operation of the system and until 25/10/22, about 125,000 incidents have been recorded. Of these, around 82,000 have been mailed. As Mr. Evripidou explained, the 82,000 that have been mailed, do not concern exclusively extrajudicial, but also letters to companies mainly concerning the clarification of who was driving a vehicle that belongs to the company and was recorded as illegal.
Also, according to the data cited by the company, as of 30/9/22, 65,376 offenses have been identified for which an extrajudicial fine has been issued.
From these, it seems that the largest volume of complaints concerns exceeding the speed limit, while equally important is that a large number of drivers passed in red, knowing that there were cameras in traffic lights.
All these elements are evaluated by the Traffic Police in order to emphasize its information campaigns to stop drivers from violating traffic rules.
In the meantime, the installation of fixed cameras is proceeding normally at six points, four in Nicosia and two in Limassol. However, there was a difference, since in the traffic lights despite the residence of the French ambassador in Strovolos (next to the Nicosia Police Department) cameras will not be installed as planned by the initial plans, after some problems and objections. In place of this point, the installation of cameras on Strovolos Avenue with its junction on Machairas Avenue, near Pepsi Cola, has already begun.
In Nicosia, cameras have already been installed on Limassol Avenue with its junction on Armenia, on Griva Digeni Avenue with its junction on Prodromou Avenue and at the junction of Makarios – Spyrou Kyprianou and Digenis Akrita avenues (near the Lycabettus police station).
In Limassol, cameras will be installed at the following two points: Leof. Archbishop Makarios with Nikos Pattichis and Leof. Agias Fylaxeos with Gladstonos.
The curious thing is that on a boulevard in the same city there will be three points at a distance of about 500 meters, where there will be cameras installed. We refer to Griva Digeni Avenue in Nicosia, where today it has four cameras operating at the junction with Demosthenes Severis Avenue, it has two more cameras in operation despite the Alpha Mega supermarket and four more cameras will soon operate at the junction near Prodromou Avenue. The assistant director of the Traffic Police explained that the two cameras located on the boulevard opposite the Alpha Mega supermarket will be withdrawn, since the contract expires and will not be renewed. This will be done on the condition that the speed limit is lowered from the current 65km to 50km.
However, the second phase of the system is still late, since despite the fact that the cameras were installed in the six new points, it is not estimated that they will start operating at the beginning of the year. This is because all the associations still need to be made so that complaints can be sent to the central processor. There will be many test tests so that when everything is ready, their operation will be known so that the drivers know that they have started working. The system will also be tested, since it will now record several cameras at the same time, i.e. 20 fixed and 20 mobile.
Cameras for protection in camera vehicles
The Commissioner for the Protection of Personal Data gave the green light to the contractor's request to install cameras in its vehicles for the purpose of protecting personnel and equipment. The company had gone ahead and installed cameras in its white vans, but there were reactions and the Commissioner's position was asked whether this was allowed for the purpose of protecting the vehicle and passengers. The Commissioner has laid down certain conditions for the operation of cameras on vehicles in the photo-labelling system so that they do not have a shot in passing vehicles, i.e. not all vehicles passing by the van are recorded.
Moreover, the perpetrators of the two shooting incidents against vehicles and camera operators remain unseen. The first incident occurred on the evening of Thursday 13/10, when the two employees, aged 44 and 32, were inside the vehicle, on duty to check traffic violations, received two shots at the driver's door.
The second incident occurred on Monday night 24/10. According to the complaint, while the employee was inside the vehicle of the photo-tagging company, which was parked, on the Larnaca - Ayia Napa highway, he saw approaching a dark-colored motorcycle, on which two persons were riding. The clerk then heard two loud clicks from a hunting rifle.
INTERVENTION
More information
Since 450 violations are recorded daily by the eight cameras, it means that we have a problem. Either the drivers do not comply, or what the citizens shout is that they are somehow trapped by the vehicles with the mobile cameras.
Whatever happens, the Traffic Police and the co-competent ministries must make frequent updates to drivers about the system and, above all, there must be visible warning signs for the existence of mobile cameras. Because the constants you know in advance the points that are placed, while the mobile ones are not. It is also imperative that mobile cameras be placed where there is a problem with accidents and not where they are to be collected out of court. Those who really have trouble and drive aggressively should pay, not those who may have been forgotten or because they cannot manage the lights that allows turning right.
