The Ministry of Public Security and Israel Police are preparing to begin phase two of the distribution of the A-3 speed and traffic -light cameras throughout the country, according to a statement issued by the police, at a meeting with the Knesset Economic Committee yesterday. As part of the second phase, up to 180 cameras will be installed on roads and at intersections, in addition to the 120 cameras whose installation was approved and budgeted as a part of phase one. According to a police presentation at the meeting, as of the end of the third quarter, 103 camera stations had been installed on the roads, among them 9 dummy units. The presentation indicated that the police have instituted a policy of “dynamic changes in enforcement levels,” in other words, they change the thresholds of how much one may exceed the speed limits before being ticketed at a given intersection. The police did not explain according to what criteria the enforcement levels are changed.
According to the police presentation, as of the beginning of October, the system had generated 151,200 tickets. The vast majority of them, 134,900, were speeding tickets, 82,400 of which were for speeding while crossing an intersection at a green light. Only 16,270 of the tickets were for running a red light.
No fewer than 126,150 of the tickets carried a fine. Of them, 1,890 carried a NIS 250 fine, and the rest were between NIS 750 and 1000. Only 25,000 of the tickets were for major speed violations (more than 30 kph above the legal limit), for which drivers received a court summons.
According to the data gathered by the Or Yarok Association for Safer Driving in Israel and presented at the meeting, the cost of installing the first 60 operational cameras was NIS 41 million, and the ongoing cost of maintaining the system, including the control centers and the associated manpower, comes to NIS 21 million per year. According to Or Yarok, the income that is expected from fines generated by the 60 operational cameras will reach NIS 81 million annually.
Or Yarok CEO Shmuel Aboav expressed his support for the cameras, but criticized its implementation. He said “It doesn’t make sense that already ten years ago, then Minister of Transportation, Avigdor Liberman, announced the installation of 300 cameras on the roads, and, to date, only 59 have been installed. According to him, nationwide distribution of the cameras could prevent 405 traffic accidents.” Abohav also said that “the cameras will not solve all our problems, and not every location requires a camera.”
National Road Safety Authority chief scientist, Dr. Shai Sofer, recommended transferring the management of the camera network to a public committee that operates with transparency and reveals information to the public. Sofer also said that there has been a rise in accidents in cities, and that it is therefore worth considering placing cameras near schools and hospitals as well.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on October 30, 2013
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