Drivers who do not stop at least 15 minutes in a locality in Switzerland are fined 100 francs
The authorities of a commune in Switzerland have decided to amend the drivers who bypass the traffic on the highway through their locality and spend less than 15 minutes there. The measure aims to prevent traffic bypassing through residential streets.
Drivers passing the locality in Basel, fined photo shutterstock
The municipality of Birsfelden, from the Basel canton, has implemented, in September, an automatic control system that detects vehicles that cross the neighborhood streets for a short time, just to bypass the crowd on the highway, writes Blue News.
The system works with the help of rooms installed at the entrances and exits from the locality. They record the registration numbers, and the data are then anonymous. If a vehicle remains in Birsfelden for more than 15 minutes, the registration is automatically deleted. If the drivers are not inhabitants or are not part of the exempted categories (such as service providers), they are automatically fined with 100 francs.
More than 1,000 drivers ignore the prohibition to travel through residential neighborhoods daily, although road signs are clear. Each violation is automatically sanctioned with a fine of 100 Swiss francs.
“The records are reduced to the strictly necessary”stresses Rainer Prüss, representative of the local administration: “The rooms only recognize the registration plates, and the rest is pixel.”
The opposition to bypass traffic has an old tradition in Birsfelden. Since 2016, the municipality has introduced traffic prohibitions at peak hours, but the effect has been limited.
Now, the locals have invested almost half a million Swiss francs (about 537 thousand euros) for the implementation of the automatic transit traffic control system (ADK) – an innovative project throughout the country.
According to an investigation conducted by OnlinePorts, the system generates revenues of over 100,000 francs per day for the local administration. Since its commissioning, about 1.5 million francs of fines have already accumulated.
The deputy mayor argues that the purpose of the system is not to generate income, but to discourage transit traffic through residential areas. “And I'm surprised by these figures. We want tranquility for inhabitants, no more money in the budget“She said. The authorities initially expected only 15 fines a day. Due to the large number of sanctions, the local administration is now facing queues and an avalanche of complaints. She has already been employed to manage the work volume.
The control system, challenged
Critics warn on possible violations of personal data protection. However, the Security Directorate of the Basel-Landschaft Canton claims that the project has a solid legal basis.
Authorities reject the accusations that the system would represent a “fines trap”, stressing that informative leaflets were distributed, light bands and additional indicators were installed, and the signal is in line with the road regulations.
In addition, Birsfelden contacted GPS navigation services to ask them to no longer direct drivers through restricted areas. So far, only a few suppliers have reacted, but Google has announced that it will make adjustments soon.
The municipality states, in turn, that it has collaborated closely with the authorities responsible for data protection.
The 15 -minute range can be adjusted if it proves too permissive or too strict. Already several municipalities in the region have expressed their interest, and in Basel-Stadt there are political initiatives for implementing similar controls.
