Procedures to reintroduce traffic cameras are once again behind schedule, with the end of 2019 target date proving elusive.
Twelve years on, the issue is still in the process of preparing tender documents so that bids can be launched.
The Transport and Justice Ministers had last year said that bids would be launched by the end of 2018 so that the cameras can be installed by the end of 2019.
However, as Phileleftheros notes, it is already mid-February and there is no indication as to when the tender will be announced.
As things stand now and taking into consideration that objections may be filed with the tenders reviewed board once the contract is awarded, the project may well be pushed to 2020, the paper added.
A meeting was held at the Justice Ministry last week with the participation of the Law Office of the Republic which reviewed legal issues particularly as regards the operation of the system. The aim is for all problems to be addressed so that there is no repeat of the past when the system was put out of operation because of disagreements.
This is the 12th year that Cyprus has been without traffic cameras, with authorities stressing the need to reinstall them to curb traffic accidents.
Police will respond to issues raised by the Law Office, the tender terms will be reviewed and if all goes well, give the green light for their launch. But Phileleftheros notes that no one is giving a timeline.
It’s been a rough ride to reinstalling traffic cameras at the main junctions and on the motorways, a result of mistakes, bureaucracy and foot dragging, the newspaper added.
Indicative of the mistaken estimates as to when the process could move forward is the December 19, 2016 statement of then Transport Minister Marios Demetriades that tenders would be launched at the beginning of 2017. He also estimated that these would generate an annual revenue for the state of €53m.
Read more
https://in-cyprus.com/call-for-tenders-for-traffic-cameras-by-end-of-year/
