A case of who is the snack bar here? Speed cameras based on the Flemish model don't sound crazy.
Compared to some other cities in Europe, the number of speed cameras in the cities is not too bad. Moreover, there are tools to prevent you from getting a big picture if you drive a few kilometers too fast. But how is the location of a speed camera actually determined?
In the Netherlands, it is up to the Public Prosecution Service (OM) to determine where a speed camera will be located. The Public Prosecution Service is also responsible for the management of the cabinet. This is to the annoyance of the major cities, which would rather see the Flemish model integrated. In this part of Belgium, municipalities can decide for themselves where speed cameras will be located and the federal government does not interfere when it comes to the location.
Speed cameras based on a Flemish model
The cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague don't think the Flemish system is that bad. After all, a city itself knows better where the dangerous intersections and/or roads are than the national Public Prosecution Service. Of course there is cooperation with the Public Prosecution Service about the location of the speed cameras, but the municipalities cannot act on their own.
For a number of years, municipalities in Flanders have been able to decide for themselves where the speed cameras should be located. Since then, a few hundred speed cameras have been added, bringing in some money to the local treasury. The city of Mechelen is a good example, where 27 section checks are already active and the municipality collects almost seven million euros in fines every year. according to Nieuwsuur.
There is also a downside to the proposal. There is a chance that municipalities know perfectly well where a good speed camera is cashcow would be. Go ahead, place a speed camera there under the heading of road safety and holes in the local budget will disappear like snow in the sun.
The big cities may want it, but ultimately national politics decides on the idea of whether the Public Prosecution Service or municipalities can determine where speed cameras are located.
Photo credit: @Maurice16 via Autoblog Spots
This article Large cities want speed cameras based on the Flemish model first appeared on Autoblog.nl.
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