Filenews 14 June 2024
The Parliamentary Committee on Transport agreed to the promotion of a proposal submitted by MP Marinos Mousiouttas.
The proposal concerns the amount of the extrajudicial fine provided for the offence of failure to comply with the obligation to stop at a traffic light and the aim is for the fine to be graded and modulated according to the location of the vehicle that violates the regulation.
Specifically, as Mr. Moussiouttas said in his statements after the meeting of the Committee, the proposal that will be put to the vote in plenary, provides that for vehicles that will step on the front line at a traffic light, the fine will amount to €25, as is already in force. In case the vehicle proceeds and finds itself on a pedestrian crossing, the fine will be set at €85, while if it passes the crossing completely, the fine will be €300.
Mr. Moussiouttas explained that the rationale of the proposal is that since these are violations that have different gravity, the penalties should also have different gravity. "The goal is not extrajudicial proceedings, the goal is to comply, not to break the law and not to endanger ourselves or other fellow human beings," Mousiouttas said.
If the proposal is passed, Moussiouttas explained in response to a journalist's question, the Ministry will need to make some adjustments to the cameras software. He expressed the hope that the proposal, which is expected to be submitted to the plenary on June 20, will be voted on, adding that "if the state agrees, it will be signed by the President and will proceed, but if he does not agree it will be sent back for referral."
In response to a journalist's question about smart lights, he said that the intention of the MPs is to consult with the Minister on this and other issues, in order to improve signage in some places. "We are waiting for a new update to see where we stand," Mousiouttas said, recalling that they were last informed before the closure of Parliament due to elections, when the Ministry had told them that these issues are included in a bill that is being prepared.
"On June 27, the Committee will see a series of proposals that concern several of the issues we have seen, and there it will become clear what the intentions were, decisions the Ministry has reached and how the proposals or the bill or both will proceed," he concluded.
CNA
