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On Thursday, the Minister of Transport, Communications, and Works, Alexis Vafeadis, was briefed on various legislative proposals submitted by parliamentarians. These parliamentarians pledged to inform the Commission within a week of the ministry's official position on the proposals, which will be determined through discussions at the Road Safety Council.
After the session, the Minister of Transport stated that the various legislative proposals on penalties and fines related to the photo-labelling system were discussed in general.
"We heard various comments from MPs and concluded that we will discuss these proposals at the next meeting of the Road Safety Council, which we will convene as soon as possible, so that Parliament will be informed promptly of our official positions on the legislative proposals," he said.
When asked whether the ministry opposes reducing the fine for running a red light, Mr Vafeadis explained that this offence currently incurs a fine of €300 and indicated that the ministry has no intention of reducing this fine.
He added that the ministry's previous recommendation, raised in a Transport Committee meeting, was to maintain the fines at their current levels but to allow a 50% discount on the fine for crossing the pedestrian line if paid within 15 days, reducing the fine in this case to €150.
"This was our suggestion pending the submission of the legislative proposals. We are proceeding with our own proposal but will also discuss the MPs' proposals," he said.
When asked about the possibility of extending the time for the right-turn arrow at traffic lights, the Minister said that variations and improvements are continually being made to the system. Additional time has already been given at some intersections with right-turn arrows, while the system has been completely changed at others. "Complaints have decreased, and fines have dropped by 28% since the implementation of these changes," he said, adding that the ministry is conducting a comprehensive study of all intersections to determine the best regulations.
Regarding the new regulation passed by Parliament last week to reduce cases of violations involving the first and second lines, Vafeadis explained that this change requires adjustments to both software and technical equipment. "It will need approval from the relevant committees, and the contractor must liaise with the manufacturer to make the changes," he explained, suggesting that it will take about 6-12 months to implement the change.
Asked if the Road Safety Council will convene within the week, the Minister of Transport replied that this is the aim, so that the commitment to submit written opinions on the legislative proposals within one week will be met.
When asked about flexibility in the payment of fines given that many citizens are facing financial difficulties, Vafeadis said that this was also discussed at a previous committee meeting, during which the ministry expressed its intention to extend the deadline for fine payment to 30 days.
"Today, there were discussions about extending this to 60 and 90 days. We believe that any measures making it easier for citizens to pay the fines are positive," he said, adding that this issue will also be presented to the Road Safety Council.
Responding to a question about the doubling of fatalities in road collisions this year, the Transport Minister said that this is an unfortunate development. However, he noted that since the 1990s, there has been a significant decrease in road deaths, with fluctuations due to various factors.
"We will continue our efforts to improve the road network, enhance road safety, provide better driver training, and benefit from safer cars," he assured, emphasising the government's commitment to reducing road deaths.
Statements by MPs
DISY MP Fotini Tsiridou acknowledged that the photo-labelling system, despite potentially wronging law-abiding citizens or violating the principle of proportionality, is a major reform that must be protected and improved.
She said that DISY's legislative proposal has three parts: a 30% reduction of the fine if paid within the deadline, an extension of the repayment period from 15 days to two months, and the non-application of penalty points imposed by the photo-labelling system until last March due to technical problems.
"DISY reiterates that besides legislative interventions, we should improve road conditions with better signage and pavement, and the state should conduct better public information campaigns to enhance road safety," she said.
Akel MP Valentinos Fakontis stated that the photo-labelling system was established to prevent and reduce road collisions but has unfortunately become a tax collection tool, often acting as a trap for drivers.
He said that AKEL submitted two legislative proposals to alleviate citizens from extrajudicial fines. The first proposal aims to allow the payment of fines for traffic violations recorded by the photo-labelling system in two to five equal, monthly interest-free instalments. The second proposal concerns the installation of countdown timers on traffic lights controlled by the photo-labelling system within three months of the proposal's passage.
"We hope that the executive power will recognise the seriousness of the issue and consent to the promotion of legislative regulations that will alleviate the problem without compromising road safety," said Mr Fakontis, stressing the importance of fostering road awareness and culture among drivers to substantially reduce serious road accidents.
Diko MP Chrysanthos Savvidis pointed out the numerous problems with the photo-labelling system, which is why legislative proposals have been submitted to improve it.
He explained that Diko submitted two legislative proposals: the first concerns increasing the penalty points (for driving licence suspension) from 12 to 20, arguing that when the penalty points system was introduced, there was neither a photo-labelling system nor some of today's checks, such as drug tests. The second proposal concerns the possibility of deleting minor violations committed by young drivers to prevent driving schools from being burdened with fines and penalty points.
"We will give the Transport Minister until September, but by then we must resolve this issue to have a fairer photo-labelling system," he added.
Elam MP Sotiris Ioannou recalled that Elam had voted against the photo-labelling system, predicting it would become a fiasco. "Today, some years later, everything we predicted has come true," he said.
He explained that Elam submitted two legislative proposals: the first for the installation of timers at traffic lights with cameras, and the second for the payment of fines in instalments.
"You understand that €300 can be a significant part of a household's income and cannot be repaid in a single instalment within 30 days," he said, explaining that this is why they are requesting the option to pay fines in instalments.
Stavros Papadouris, a member of the Ecologists' Movement – Citizens' Cooperation, said that nine legislative proposals were presented in today's session to address issues with the photo-labelling system, but no further discussion took place.
"We believe that something positive can emerge from these proposals to make the photo-labelling system more driver-friendly without losing its original focus on safety," he noted. He also mentioned that the Legal Service identified constitutional issues in some proposals but was encouraging about others. "We hope to have the views of the ministry and the Legal Service within a week," he said, adding that if possible, a proposal will be brought before the Plenary before the summer recess.
