Traffic cameras by early next year, increased narco-tests and harsher penalties for driving offences are just some of the measures being introduced with the aim of reducing road deaths by 50 per cent.
Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos chaired a road safety council meeting on Wednesday, attended by Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis, and set out the plan for the period 2021-2030.
The central focus includes traffic cameras and a general review of the current traffic laws.
Traffic cameras are seen as a key tool in reducing yearly road fatalities. Karousos said that evaluation of the tenders for the cameras will be completed by the end of September.
Karousos set the timeframe for the installation of traffic cameras to begin in the first two months of 2021 – provided there are no appeals during the tenders’ process.
Appeals are notorious for holding up public works projects for years, with one of the latest being the fallout of contracts awarded to bus companies.
Noting the severity of the situation on the roads, Karousos said that last year there were 52 road deaths.
“Each such deaths from traffic accidents costs the economy of our country about 3 million euros… [last year] the cost to the economy exceeded 150 million euros,” Karousos said.
The article Traffic cameras in 2021 part of measures to halve road deaths appeared first in Cyprus Mail
