Successful pilot will be followed up
Following a successful trial with two speed cameras at railway crossings, ProRail has decided that they will install more railway crossings in the coming months and years. speed cameras going to provide. And that’s a good thing. Wait, what? Someone who thinks installing more speed cameras is a good thing? Uuuhhmmm…
Quickly crossing the railway can become expensive
No, kidding. I think we’ve all done it. At least I did as a teenager. As soon as possible before a train passes, quickly run to the other side of the track. Or in the few seconds between the moment the red lights started flashing and the barriers came down, we quickly drove the car, because we were in a hurry. Dangerous actions that, in addition to leading to (fatal) accidents, also have an enormous impact on train drivers.
Anyway, ProRail has been testing the installation of a speed camera at a railway crossing in recent months. One of those test poles was located near a school. There, kids often quickly walked across the track just before the train arrived. Scooters and (moped) cyclists were also guilty of this, as were, to a lesser extent, cars.
During the test it turned out that the number of violations due to the presence of a speed camera had already been halved in just a few months. Offenders with a license plate will also receive a fine from the CJIB if they are flashed. For scooters and mopeds it is 190 euros. Motorists can pay 280 euros. Naturally, ProRail states that issuing fines is not the main goal. Although it will be a bonus. After all, ProRail and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management want to install 40 more speed cameras at level crossings in the Netherlands this year. With the fines they can recoup part of those costs – for which the ministry has made 4.8 million euros available.
(Un)sensible speed cameras
Speed ​​cameras are usually a major source of annoyance. Although they are in principle intended to make traffic safer by giving violators such as speeders and red drivers a serious financial slap on the fingers, most road users mainly despise them and refer to them as disguised money-grabbers from the Justice Department. And I also have to admit that I don’t always see the point in it.
During roadworks, both on highways and beyond, I think they can always be left there. There they directly ‘monitor’ the safety of people, the road workers. But unfortunately there are also many speed cameras in places where you can easily drive 5 to 10 kilometers too fast, but where an accident rarely or never happens. I think they can remove all those poles… and move them to railway crossings, for example.
In addition to making a real contribution to road safety, they can also rake in much more money. I mean, speeding 5 to 10 kilometers costs a few bucks – and those are also the most annoying fines, 55 where you were allowed 50. Then you never had the idea that you were really driving too fast, but you can still pay 43 euros again. If such a speed camera is installed at a railway crossing, it will yield at least 190 euros per violation, and even 280 euros if a car is flashed. That is of course an argument that the Justice Department and the CJIB are willing to listen to.
