KOCHI: Beware you speedsters who zip past the signals at major junctions on the national and state highways! If you think you are safe as no long as you do not jump the signal, you better be careful. The Motor Vehicle Department will replace 46 cameras installed at major junctions with speed detection cameras. The decision was taken at a meeting convened by Transport Commissioner K Padmakumar at his office last week.
“The junction cameras across the state are installed mainly to detect signal jumping. But with National Highway Authority of India and PWD not heeding the calls to mark the lines at the junctions, cameras there have turned mere scarecrows. The department can’t reach a conclusion whether a motorist has violated the rule or not. So we’re planning to replace the junction cameras with speed cameras,” said Enforcement RTO K M Shaji. The commissioner has also asked the deputy transport commissioners and enforcement RTOs to say where all the removed cameras have to be installed.
“Already we’ve identified around 100 locations on the national and state highways across the state. We’ll again discuss the matter. Existing cameras will be removed and relocated soon,” said the RTO.At present, the department has installed over 201 cameras on the NH stretch between Cherthala and Manjeswaram. Apart from that, it is also in the process of placing 38 cameras from Vadakkenchery to Walayar in Palakkad district.
“From these cameras alone, we get around 8,000 violations per day. Since we don’t have enough staff, we could issue notices to only 3,000 violators per day. So the department is planning to expand the automatic enforcement office at the Kakkanad civil station,” said another officer.
46 speed cameras will be installed at major jucntions on national and state highways