A new type of traffic radar has been installed at the intersection of Brīvības and Krustabaznīcas Street in Riga. The radar detects drivers who do not mind the red light.
Last year, 4,000 drivers were caught by the State Police for driving under the red light. The failure to comply with traffic lights last year has led to 150 road accidents.
There are now several cameras at the intersection of Brīvības and Krustabaznīcas Street. One is a 360-degree camera that films both traffic lights and cars crossing the intersection.
A red-light radar is installed at this intersection, catching vehicles driving near the red light and a camera detecting private vehicles moving illegally through the public transport lane.
A similar radar is also installed in Liepāja. This is an innovative solution developed by “Latvijas Mobilais Telefons” (LMT).
“This solution is unique with the fact that we don't need to build anything at crossings. We just get electricity from the traffic light, connect our camera to the same traffic light post,” explained the director of the LMT Business Management Service Vīgants Radziņš. “This is an export-oriented solution where we can compete with other companies of this kind worldwide”.
Experience in Liepājas shows that around four hundred offences are recorded this month, representing approximately 1% of all drivers.
At the moment, drivers who are caught in this way are not penalized. This is just a pilot project.
The usefulness of such a solution is assessed by a working group set up by the Ministry of Transport.
This article was originally published on LSM, and is written by Uldis Birziņš. Find the original article here.