Municipalities want to install traffic cameras

Municipalities want to install their own traffic cameras to monitor roads for offences like illegal parking within their jurisdiction, asking Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos to facilitate legal issues.

Local authorities request that the ministry promote legislation so that municipalities could employ traffic cameras to capture violations such as parking offences.

The issue arose after part of Makarios Avenue in Nicosia was redesigned to limit vehicle traffic, but motorists ignored the rules.

Nicosia Municipality has campaigned to install traffic cameras on Makarios Avenue, with other municipalities also joining the call to monitor roads in their jurisdiction.

Makarios Avenue has been made into a one-way road. One of its two lanes is open only to buses and a few eligible vehicles – as per EU stipulations, which funded the project – but other cars are using the bus lane.

Arguing that it is unable to prevent private cars from entering the bus lane without the assistance of a camera monitoring system, Nicosia Mayor Constantinos Yiorkadjis said the municipality is already installing a camera network on Makarios Avenue.

“They are currently being installed, and the network will be operational by May or June,” Yiorkadjis told Sigma Live on Wednesday.

In comments to Phileleftheros daily, Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos said his ministry would propose an amendment to the law, allowing local authorities to install their own traffic camera network.

As Karousos explained, the Union of Cyprus Municipalities will be reviewing the law with its legal advisors and proposing a draft to the ministry within the next two months.

The ministry will then review the proposal prepare a bill for the legal services.

The bill will give municipalities the power to use the cameras for specific roads.

Municipalities will be able to identify motorists driving in bus lanes, illegal parking, and other offences but will not be used for speeding violations or other offences that fall under the jurisdiction of the traffic police.