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Go to the Bermuda news section for snippets of new from BermudaEnd of the Third Lane?
Police are planning to bring high-tech cameras to clamp down on speeding motorists.
The proposals being prepared for Government could even recommend cameras that can trace the vehicles of wanted criminals. The news emerged yesterday as Police announced a traffic crime blitz - drafting in more than 20 extra officers to help officers tackle everything from speeding to "third laning" on motorbikes.
Announcing the zero tolerance approach, Acting Inspector Raoul Ming of the Traffic Enforcement Unit pledged: "We're going to be flooding the streets, dealing with all these traffic related offences in cars, on bikes, on foot, from the East End to the West End and everywhere in between. "We will be using conventional and unconventional methods to achieve our aim."
The initiative to promote safer roads comes in a year that has already seen ten men lose their lives in motorcycle accidents. A total of 68 people have died on Bermuda's roads since April 1999. "We will be targeting a host of offences - first and most critical is speeding," said A/Insp. Ming, warning that the limit is 35 kilometres per hour and that anyone who exceeds this faces punishment.
He refuted the widely-held notion that Bermuda has an "unofficial" speed limit higher than this. "There's a belief the public can travel at 50 kph and be safe. That's wrong. Anyone travelling over the speed limit will be ticketed accordingly," he said. He warned that Police will also target people who ride their bikes between lanes of traffic, and people who park illegally, landing them with on-the-spot fines.
Officers from the Traffic Enforcement Unit, who ride motorbikes and use laser guns to catch speeders, will be aided by colleagues from other sections of the Police, including plain-clothed CID officers. They will patrol in both marked and unmarked cars as well as on foot. Speaking after the announcement, A/Insp. Ming told The Royal Gazette Police had explored three different types of photographic radar systems. Unlike the current speed guns - which bounce off vehicles to measure speed - these actually take a picture of the vehicle.
He said these devices can be permanently mounted in cages by the road or operated in the traditional way by officers. Some on the market boast the ability to assist in tracing stolen or wanted vehicles by "recognising" the number plate as it passes and alerting Police. The project remains at the research stage at present, but Ch. Insp. Tyrone Smith, who is heading the initiative, plans to have a paper ready for Commissioner of Police George Jackson in around two weeks. The proposals within it will be reviewed, and passed on to Government.
Ed Note: pack racing at 100kph is still allowed as long as your left foot is nearly touching the road.