Delay in speed camera fines

Motorists caught violating the highway code by newly introduced speed cameras have yet to receive their fine after almost one month since the network went live.

According to Phileleftheros daily, police officials confirmed that not a single registered letter with a traffic offence had been sent out.

It quoted traffic police deputy chief Charis Evripidou who clarified the operation had been stalled due to procedural issues that were expected to be resolved “in a matter of days.”

Operators have difficulty confirming mailing addresses due to bad record-keeping or the time needed to calculate penalty points when more than one violation is recorded.

The delay is expected to build up a backlog of fines as the camera network reports hundreds of violations daily.

Evripidou told Phileleftheros the four fixed and four mobile cameras currently in use are flagging over 800 violations per day, with the mobile units recording mainly speed violations.

The traffic camera network caught over 5,000 offending drivers in the first nine days since officially penalising motorists from 1 January.

It was introduced on 25 October, but authorities decided to impose a grace period before sending out tickets to offenders.

The first fines were to be sent out on 1 January, with authorities claiming this would give motorists the chance to familiarise themselves with the system.

The delay has reignited discussions over legal doubts and concerns of violation of personal data.

There are currently four fixed and four mobile cameras while it is expected that gradually 90 fixed and 20 mobile ones will be introduced over three years.

The four fixed cameras are at a busy Nicosia junction on Grivas Digheni and Demosthenis Severis Avenues.

As of Tuesday, Cyprus should be stepping into the second phase of setting up the network.

According to the agreement, the contractor must provide authorities with another 20 fixed cameras and 16 mobile ones.

However, the company awaits the green light for the next phase given by the Department of Electromechanical Services.