Cyprus to install 440 traffic cameras in 2009

There will be three times as many road-side cameras to monitor road traffic and catch offenders when the new revised system becomes operational next year.
With 440 fixed cameras and 40 mobile units, Communications and Works Minister Nicos Nicolaides, said the new system will cost significantly more than the previous one, with the bill estimated at around EUR 27 mln, compared to 11.5 mln for the previous one that has been disabled since last year.
In 2006, there was also a provision for 291 dummy cameras, but there is no such provision now. The cost, the minister said, was justified, if it resulted in saving human lives.
The tenders’ period expires on October 3, after which the tenders will be evaluated and decided on. The system will then be implemented in three stages. The first phase will be installed next year.
In order to avoid the problems that arose last time – the contract with the previous company was interrupted due to the system’s unreliability in registering and storing traffic violators’ data and photos – the new system will allow no human intervention, instead operating electronically.
In the 12 months that the previous system operated between October 2006 and September 2007, the state collected EUR 3 mln in fines, while a further 3 mln in fines are still pending.
Previous data showed that cameras resulted in a 15-20% decrease in traffic violations and accidents in 2007 compared to the year before.