The Moscow data center will check and sell used road systems to the regions

The city authorities are conducting an independent assessment of the technical condition and market value of traffic cameras that have long been dismantled from the road network. We are talking about about 800 complexes. They will be put up for auction and sold, and the money will go to the city budget. Experts believe that potential buyers may have problems with spare parts for outdated models due to the sanctions.

The Moscow Transport Procurement Directorate is holding a tender for 2.9 million rubles. to conduct an “independent examination of the technical condition and assessment of the market value of stationary photo and video recording systems.” We are talking about cameras that have been dismantled from city streets and are not in use, as explained to Kommersant at the Moscow Traffic Management Center (TCOC). Judging by the terms of reference for the tender, 764 complexes of the type “Avtouragan-VS”, “Avtouragan-VSM2”, “Strelka ST”, “Strelka ST-P”, as well as 156 dummies (they look like real cameras, but do not record violations) are subject to assessment. .

“The data center has been using stationary photo-video recording systems since 2012,” the center said. “The equipment was systematically updated, and today we have cameras at our disposal that are no longer used. We plan to conduct an independent examination to assess the technical condition of these complexes and their market value. After this, the cameras can be sold at auction in accordance with legal requirements. The proceeds will go back to the city budget.”

Until 2016, the data processing center purchased equipment as its own, then switched to a rental relationship with suppliers. Now in Moscow there are more than 3.8 thousand cameras for recording violations, including the Strelka Plus model. This amount is enough for the city, Moscow Deputy Mayor Maxim Liksutov said in an interview with Kommersant at the end of 2022. “As soon as we see that the camera has fulfilled its task, the problem with accidents has gone away, we do not buy a new one, but move it to a new place or a new dedicated lane,” said Mr. Liksutov. “We believe that today in Moscow there are enough cameras to monitor traffic safety all over the city.”

“No one will buy this decommissioned equipment, even in the poorest regions,” predicted Sergei Kusov, a representative of the Recognition Technologies company (a manufacturer of traffic cameras). “Firstly, it has exhausted its service life and is outdated both technically and software. Secondly, the manufacturers themselves no longer support it. Well, where is this goodness? Only for scrap metal.” The expert believes that the city is making room for a new contract for new, more advanced complexes.

Market interest in the devices sold depends on the residual price and their functionality, Grigory Shukhman, an expert on photo and video recording systems, disagrees. “The old systems worked almost exclusively for speed violations,” he explains. “If Moscow sells them inexpensively, then they can still work to record this type of violation. If they pass verification.”

There is no maximum service life for photo-video recording systems; with proper operation and proper maintenance, the functionality of the systems can be long, the OKO association (which unites camera manufacturers and operators) explained to Kommersant. However, the devices produced eight to ten years ago are already obsolete for use on capital roads, the organization believes: in Moscow it is necessary to record several dozen violations and monitor multi-lane roads. Before the examination is carried out, it is too early to talk about the advisability of using old cameras in the regions, OKO believes: due to sanctions, components for these devices may not be available, which means there may be problems with repair and operation. “To ensure security, it is more expedient to update the fleet of photo and video recording systems in accordance with the needs of each specific entity,” the association believes.

The demand for old cameras is unlikely to be high, according to a Kommersant source in the photo and video recording market. “Regions that have absolutely no money for cameras are rare. Moreover, photo recording systems are being actively deployed, including through funds from the national project “Safe Quality Roads,” explained Kommersant’s interlocutor. “Most of the subjects are attentive to the purchased equipment and functionality. Many people want cameras to record unfastened seat belts, talking on the phone and other offenses. Interest in old cameras would be higher if Moscow offered the equipment to the regions for free.”

Ivan Buranov