The Ministry of Transport has set strict requirements for the traffic monitoring system

Russian regions are not ready for the new rules for installing traffic cameras and fear that after September 1, some of the existing photo-video recording systems will have to be turned off. A discussion about this took place after the Ministry of Transport presented the third version of the draft rules. Among other things, the document makes mandatory the current advisory technical requirements for cameras, including measurement errors and photograph formats. The fate of the project will be decided this week.

“Kommersant” drew attention to the meeting of the “Road Safety” working group, which took place on Thursday as part of the “regulatory guillotine”. At the meeting, the Ministry of Transport presented a newly revised draft rules for installing cameras that monitor traffic.

Let us remind you that we are talking about a draft government decree, which should come into force on September 1, together with the already adopted federal law No. 197. This law establishes general rules for violation detection systems (for example, permissible installation locations and approval procedures for installation). And the resolution must specify important technical details – for example, the distance from warning signs to the camera itself.

The first two versions of the resolution were presented in November and December, Kommersant spoke about them in detail. In the third version, the Ministry of Transport abandoned the idea of ​​fining for violating the speed limit, proposed by dynamic boards. Such signs are often located on major highways; during bad weather they encourage drivers to slow down. But most drivers perceive these restrictions as an optional recommendation. In the December version of the project, the Ministry of Transport proposed to monitor with cameras whether drivers follow the “prompts” of the board. Kommersant’s publication about this caused a resonance, the Ministry of Internal Affairs opposed the initiative – and now it has been removed from the document.

At the same time, the Ministry of Transport decided to reinstate the ban on installing speed cameras closer than 1 km from each other in populated areas and closer than 5 km outside the city. This norm was in the very first version of the project, then it was excluded and now it has been returned again. However, there are exceptions to the ban: cameras can be installed at any frequency if they are needed to eliminate the source of accidents or if the traffic police require it.

Also, the new edition of the resolution transfers GOST R 57144 of 2016 from advisory to mandatory status. It sets out technical requirements for cameras, for example, measurement errors, composition of photographic and video materials for evidence, ranges of measured speeds, requirements for anti-vandal protection, etc. Let us recall that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has been preparing amendments to this standard since 2022.

Experts invited to the working group meeting criticized the third version of the document. Thus, Anna Sedova, deputy director of the Tula Avtodor State Public Institution, said that some of the mobile cameras in the region do not meet the requirements of GOST: they do not form a “collage” of photographs of the car. Until September 1, this is not a violation, since now GOST is advisory, but then the cameras will have to be removed or turned off. Mrs. Sedova asked the Ministry of Transport to pay attention to this “from the point of view of the effective use of funds.” According to Kommersant, the traffic police insisted on the mandatory nature of GOST.

Director of the State Public Institution “Regional Navigation and Information Center” of the Saratov Region, Evgeny Ostroumov, said that “half of the cameras” in his region do not meet the requirements of the third version of the document. He also drew attention to the norm, which allows the installation of certain “information boards” on the roads, warning about cameras, but the document does not contain requirements for the size, background color and general appearance of these boards.

According to Kommersant’s information, the third edition is not supported by the Traffic Management Center (TCOC) of Moscow. They also fear that some of the capital’s cameras will have to be excluded from the photo and video recording system (today there are 3.8 thousand of them in the city). However, in the official commentary, the Data Center limited itself to the message that “the Moscow transport complex has sent its proposals and clarifications to the relevant authorities for consideration of the final draft resolution.” The center noted that it has been possible to reduce the accident rate in the city in recent years largely thanks to the system of photo-video recording of violations.

The MVS group company (operator of a photo-video recording system near Moscow) does not see any problems in transferring GOST 57144 to mandatory status, since “the technical requirements for the complexes should be the same for everyone.” The company also supports the decision to return the minimum permissible distance between cameras, but believes that the legislation in this regard needs to be improved. MVS Group reminds that from September 1, the camera will not be installed in a place where only minor accidents without casualties occur, and this issue must be discussed in advance. “There are a number of methodological solutions that make it possible to “predict” dangerous places based on the analysis of various data, for example, the configuration of the road network, the presence of nearby social facilities, etc.,” the company explained. “The use of these methods when determining the installation locations of complexes will allow prevent victims.”

“The document needs to be finalized in order to clarify uncertainties, including those associated with the placement of cameras on the roads,” summed up Evgeniy Litvin, co-chairman of the “Road Safety” working group within the framework of the “regulatory guillotine.” The Ministry of Transport does not comment on the claims to the document.

The further fate of the project – whether it will be sent for revision or supported – depends on the voting of the working group. It will take place this week. By September 1, the government must also approve the rules for transferring information from cameras to the traffic police; this is a separate document that will also be discussed.

According to the traffic police, at the end of 2023, there were 25.2 thousand stationary, 3.1 thousand mobile and 900 mobile cameras operating on the roads of the Russian Federation. With their help, more than 220 million administrative fines were issued last year—20% more than the year before.

Ivan Buranov