Mykolaiv proposes expanding automatic traffic cameras to detect more than speeding

Mykolaiv is asking the Cabinet of Ministers to expand the capabilities of traffic cameras. Photo: NikVesti

In Mykolaiv, there is a proposal to expand the list of traffic offences that can be automatically recorded by traffic cameras. In addition to speeding, they could start recording drivers crossing stop lines and driving in public transport lanes.

A corresponding appeal to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has been backed by the Mykolaiv City Council’s Commission on Legal Affairs, NikVesti reports.

As Andrii Volkov, the executive committee’s chief of staff, explained during the meeting, one of the key points of the appeal is to expand the capabilities of automatic enforcement cameras.

«Apart from speeding, there are other traffic offences — crossing the stop line and driving in public transport lanes. We would like it to be possible to record such offences using cameras, without the need to involve the patrol police,» he said.

In addition, councillors raised the issue of installing cameras on potentially dangerous sections of road. According to Andrii Volkov, current regulations only permit the installation of automatic enforcement systems in areas where a high concentration of road traffic accidents has already been recorded.

«When the city repairs roads, we realise that a smooth surface will encourage speeding. For example, this was the case near schools, but we could not install cameras until the required number of road traffic accidents had occurred there. This precludes prevention,» he noted.

Another proposal concerns the distribution of revenue from fines. According to the speaker, currently 90 per cent of the funds from fines paid go to the state budget, whilst local authorities receive only 10 per cent, even though it is often the local authorities themselves that finance the installation of the cameras.

«If local authorities install cameras using their own funds, it would be fair for them to receive the lion’s share of these revenues. This would allow the automated enforcement system to be developed further,» emphasised Andrii Volkov.

Accident on the motorway near Mykolaiv on 4 July

The accident occurred on the morning of 4 July on the M-14 «Odesa — Melitopol — Novoazovsk» motorway, near the junction with the road to the village of Shchaslyve. A Mercedes Sprinter passenger minibus and a Volvo lorry collided.

Initially, the police reported nine fatalities and eight injured with varying degrees of severity. However, they later clarified that 12 people had died and a further six had been injured. The 49-year-old driver of the Mercedes Sprinter minibus and eight of his passengers were killed. A further nine injured people, including the driver of the Volvo lorry and minibus passengers aged between 15 and 67, were hospitalised. As of 11.30 am, three more of the injured had died in hospital.

It has also emerged that the driver of a Nissan Murano may have caused the fatal road traffic accident. According to eyewitnesses, he swerved into the oncoming lane in front of the minibus. He then left the scene of the accident. The police have tracked him down.

In addition, following the accident, the Minister of the Interior, Ihor Klymenko, made a statement regarding the tragic road traffic accident in the Mykolaiv region.

A Day of Mourning was declared on 5 July in Mykolaiv following the fatal accident.

The public prosecutor’s office has now launched an investigation. According to the investigation, the driver of the Nissan veered into the oncoming lane, creating a dangerous situation for the minibus. In an attempt to avoid a head-on collision, the driver of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter swerved onto the hard shoulder, lost control, after which the minibus overturned, veered into the oncoming lane and collided with a Volvo lorry.

On Sunday, 5 July, the driver of the Nissan Murano, who is suspected of causing a fatal road traffic accident in the Mykolaiv region, was served with a notice of suspicion.