Due to allegations of revenue gathering, the camera device controllers at the municipal Police (Straż miejska) will cease to maintain Warsaw’s cameras on the 1st January 2016, as handover of control to the road transport inspectors (Inspekcja Transportu Drogowego) begins. In Warsaw, there may be more accidents as a result.
Go as fast as you want, I’m not lookin’
Also city guards will not be able to control speed by using mobile speed cameras. They have been doing so in 42 marked places. The officers were regularly stationed in Al. KEN in Ursynów, where until recently there were many accidents.
Four speed cameras will continue operating
From January, only four cameras will continue to operate, those that belong to the road transport Inspectors.
The exclusion of most devices is a result of changes the law adopted mid-year by Parliament, which banned urban and municipal use of speed cameras. MEPs argued that too often the pictures taken of the speedsters by the local authorities were for revenue gathering, to fund road repairs and add to budgets. Revenue gathering is an unjust additional tax on the motorist. This argument, however, has sparked protests in Warsaw.
The Urban Road Administration argues that the locations of speed cameras have been thoroughly analyzed. According to statistics provided security at these sites clearly increased. The Straż miejska add that within the intersections where cameras are installed, there were no fatal accidents. What’s more, at the junctions with red light cameras, help prevent traffic jams. It stops drivers entering at the last moment, which usually blocks traffic for other directions.
So after 1 January will there be more accidents? By last month, the authorities of Warsaw had hoped that speed cameras will take over the policing of road transport.
The Act in no way obliges us to take over these devices..
Said Piotr Zych from ITD a month ago. Recently, however, he has changed his mind. Just before Christmas she sent letter to the city guard, in which he expressed their desire to take over the speed cameras. Running however, only 16 of them.
Zbigniew Leszczyński, head of the municipal guard, protested. In his opinion, ITD should take over all the equipment, and in the future to increase their number. “These few devices that would be supported by the regional heads, would not have much impact on improving safety,” he wrote to the ITD head. Finally, ITD this week, has agreed to take over from the municipal guard all speed cameras. However, it is not known when they will start working again.
We are now negotiating on their acquisition. We made the devices, but under certain conditions. We want to further develop the security analysis, for example. Say whether the specified traffic enforcement camera does the job or if you need to move it to another location. We hope, too, that the number of devices where appropriate will be increased. It is not known, however, how long the negotiations will last and when the cameras again could start work.
– Jarosław Jóźwiak, Vice President of Warsaw
Adrian Kurza of ITD points out that now a lot of people are on vacation, discussions with officials of the city will continue in January.
The ITD to be liquidated?
Meanwhile, recently, new Interior Minister Jarosław Zieliński, does not rule out that the road transport Inspection will be eliminated. Most of their powers would be taken over by the police. Would that delay the acquisition of speed cameras evem more?
So far we have not heard anything about it officially. The eventual liquidation of ITD would take some time and we hope that we shall sign an Inspection agreement. Then the machines would be taken over by police
– Jarosław Jóźwiak.
It is known for a fact that spots will disappear, where the guards were stationed with mobile safety cameras. Monika Niżniak, a spokeswoman for the guard, announces that soon the road signs indicating locations of control will go.
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