Neither pressure nor the law halted the installation of the point-to-point speed cameras in the Kurdistan Region

PEREGRAF

Parliamentarians, the Sulaymaniyah public prosecutor and the Sulaymaniyah provincial council built up enormous pressures to stop the installation of point-to-point speed cameras, however, as if nothing had happened; the project of installing the speed cameras in Sulaymaniyah carries on. In addition, the cameras will be operational on the Erbil's 120 Meter ring road next week.

In August 2022, the Sulaymaniyah provincial council unanimously decided to reject the project to install point-to-point speed cameras in the provinces of Sulaymaniyah and Halabja and Administrative divisions of Garmian and Raparin.

The decision is in harmony with Law No. 3 of 2009 of the Kurdistan Region's provinces, which in Article 6, paragraph 10, gives the provincial council the right to amend or suspend any project with the consent of two-thirds of the members.

Niaz Ahmad Hamalaw, head of the Interior and Relations Committee of the Sulaymaniyah Provincial Council, told Peregraf: "We have done our share in trying to prevent the implementation. If the installation of cameras is implemented, the parliament should do its duty and monitor the system."

Hamalaw also said that they have sent a letter to the Kurdish Council of Ministers to send it to the relevant authorities in order to prevent the implementation of the speed cameras.

According to Peregraf’s investigations, the decision of the Sulaymaniyah provincial council has not created any obstacles to the project to install speed cameras, although according to Law No. 3 of 2009, the governor must comply with the decisions of the council.

Lawand Faraidoon, a lawyer at Early Future Company, which is responsible for the implementation of the camera installation project, told Peregraf that the contract is beyond the authority of the provincial council and was signed with the the KRG's Ministry of Interior. Preventing the implementation is within the authority of the  KRG's prime minister, deputy prime minister and the court."

He also explained that the company is waiting for the Ministry of Interior to hand over the cameras to the government and put them into operation.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has signed a contract with Early Future Company to install 225 speed cameras in April 2021 on the roads between Sulaymaniyah yah-Raperin, Sulaymaniyah yah-Chamchamal, Sulaymaniyah yah-Garmian and Sulaymaniyah yah-Halabja.

In addition to the provincial council, the general prosecutor of Sulaymaniyah yah requested the cancellation and legal action against the installation of speed cameras twice last year.

"The installation of point-to-point fixed cameras will completely disrupt the work of taxis and stop traffic at once." Said Mohammed Ghafur, Taxi driver.  He also added, "We drive between Sulaymaniyah yah and Tasluja from day to night, barely making around 20-40 thousand dinars. If they implement the speed cameras, we have to spend all our income on fuel and camera charges."

He fears that the installation of these cameras will cause higher prices of public transport, especially taxis because the efficiency of the work of taxis will be reduced by 50 percent, so the price must increase. "The government must first repair and rehabilitate the roads outside the city before considering the installation of speed cameras." Said Ghafur.

In October 2022, the Interior Ministry confirmed that the installation of cameras would cover the entire Kurdistan Region, not just Sulaymaniyah yah, without showing any intention to stop the project.

Erbil Traffic Police on 18th January, 2023 warned drivers that point-to-point speed cameras in a section of the 120 Meter highway (between Kirkuk Street and Banaslawa Street) on both sides, will be operational next week. "To avoid financial penalties of the speed traffic camera, please do not exceed the speed limit, do not overspeed on the 120 Meter ring road from now on." Erbil Traffic Police says in a statement.

Small vehicles cannot speed up more than 110 kilometers per hour on the Erbil's 120 Meter ring road, on the other hands, large vehicles namely trucks cannot accelerate faster than 80 kilometers per hour. "Any excessive speed will be recorded and fined, whether the camera is visible or not," Erbil Traffic said.

Some Kurdistan MPs have been trying to stop the project for several months and submitted a request to summon the Interior Minister with 16 signatures last September, but they have not had any impact on the prevention of the project.

Lawand Faraidun, the lawyer representing the company for the implementation of the speed cameras said the project is two-part, outside the cities (point to point), that is, if the distance between two cameras is traveled in less time than intended, a violation will be recorded. Inside the cities, however, the cameras are only (one point). That is, a violation will be recorded if any given car arrives at the cameras with a speed exceeding the speed limit.

"The outside regions of the city have been mostly completed and after being taken over by the government, the government will conduct an awareness campaign to inform drivers on what days they will be launched and how drivers should comply," Faraidoon said.

According to the contract, 70 percent of the speeding fine revenue will go to the implementing companies and 30 percent to the government until the total cost of the project is paid back to the company, then 80 percent will be to the government and 20 percent to the company for 15 years. The total revenue will be completely for the government after the 15 indicated years.

Mariwan Qader, a driver, told Peregraf: "Although one of the main causes of traffic accidents is over speeding, the installation of point-to-point cameras for the roads of Kurdistan, especially Sulaymaniyah yah province is not appropriate, because most of the roads are rough and have not been renovated for many years."

The driver is unhappy that during the annual replacement of vehicles and any other transactions of traffic offices, "a lot of money" such as taxes, fees and fines are received by the government, he also believes that the project is more for-profit and less for safety.

Last year, surveillance cameras in the Kurdistan Region recorded 1 million 825 thousand 976 violations, according to the statistics of the General Directorate of Traffic Police, while the same year there were more than 3,000 traffic accidents; 445 people were killed and more than 7,000 injured.

The region has more than two million registered vehicles, of which more than 593,000 are located in Sulaymaniyah yah.

According to the head of the internal committee in the Sulaymaniyah provincial council, the project is only a burden on citizens. He also added, "Part of the reason for rejecting the project is that the money collected from drivers' fines is not spent on the border and roads."

Niaz Ahmad believes that the project is for the benefit of the company and that if the revenue was 75 percent for the government, they would support the project because speed cameras are important and one of the reasons to reduce traffic accidents.

In several incidents from August to October, a number of speed cameras in Sulaymaniyah yah have been shot, burned, and distorted, especially on the Dukan-Sulaymaniyah yah road.

Lawand Faraidoon said that as the implementing company, they have filed a complaint against the unknown people who have done such things. "There were also a number of people who opposed the installation of the cameras, including PMs, the case is in court and has moved forward."

On August 23, 2022, Azad Hama Amin, the chairman of the Sulaymaniyah provincial council, threatened legal action in front of the media if the council's decision is not implemented by the provincial executive authority, but five months have passed and no further steps have been taken.