THE ATTORNEY-general is looking into the legal ramifications of cancelling the government’s traffic camera contract, following several technical problems that have affected the system.
According to local press reports, it was decided to cancel the contract with supplier Electromatik on Wednesday night, during a meeting between the Communications and Works Ministry, Police and Legal Services.
However, latest reports are claiming that the government is having second thoughts, as it is, “afraid of making a fool of itself.” As a result, it is said to be, “exploring all possibilities.”
The AG is looking into whether the equipment and service supplied by the company matches what was agreed in the contract.
Even if that is found not to be the case, negotiations with the company are going ahead in an effort to find a solution.
A decision is expected on Monday, the Communications Ministry has said.
The main problem with several of the 40 cameras is that some photographs are not being stored on the hard drive. This means that many drivers are getting away with speeding or jumping red lights, while others are being charged for exactly the same offences. The government has described this situation as unacceptable.
Some of the cameras are also said to be suffering power cuts at busy junctions, again resulting in many drivers escaping the law, while others are not being correctly serviced.
Since the system was activated on October 11 last year, there have been roughly 100,000 violations, generating £1.5 million in fines. Thirty-five thousand people have still not paid.
For their part, Electromatik have maintained that they have fulfilled all of their obligations and on April 18 even proposed a new system of recording and storing traffic violations, which are even more effective.
“We did not hear back from anybody,” a spokesman was quoted as saying.
Yesterday, the company’s Managing Director, Gregoris Markitanis spoke out over the issue.
“Our company is not worried about the outcome of the government’s evaluation as we have submitted more than one alternative and we are sure that we can satisfy their needs,” he told the Mail. “There is no basis for their concern.”
He explained that the, “disk storage unit we proposed last year became obsolete so they requested and we agreed to replace it at no extra cost.”
He added that, “during the evaluation period, we found that the disk used on the mobile cameras was blocking after some use. This could have been caused by manhandling or environmental factors, such as vibrations from heavy lorries, for example.”
He said that it had nothing to do with the obligations of the company to replace the drive unit.
“I would like to point out that the system installed in Cyprus is the most advanced in the world, with the best performance. The German manufacturer, Robot Visual Systems, have 70 per cent of the market share in traffic enforcement systems.”
The system was initially meant to operate for a nine-month trial period, with a further 120 cameras earmarked for 2007.
By 2010, it was hoped that 440 would be installed across the island at a cost of six million pounds.
The government is thought to have already made a significant down payment.
