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Controversial form of camera ticketing to be discontinued

The National Police Agency (NPA) yesterday announced that police will stop issuing speeding tickets to motorists caught by cameras with induction-loop triggers.

"The use of these cameras is controversial for catching speeding drivers. But they are still useful for identifying those who run red lights," said Wang Lai-fa (王來發), head of the agency's Traffic Section.

Police use two kinds of cameras, Wang said -- the traditional induction-loop trigger and one with a radar trigger. The traditional induction-loop trigger cameras are usually set up at intersections in urban areas to take photos of drivers who run red lights. But they can also be used to catch speeding drivers. The radar trigger cameras are used mainly in mobile machines to identify speeding motorists.

Induction-loop cameras require the camera's computer system to calculate the speed of a vehicle in order to decide whether to trigger the camera to take a picture. However, since the cameras are not covered by any law that requires them to be inspected for accuracy, police said they were no longer willing to guarantee the accuracy of the recorded speeds.

Wang said that the police wanted to avoid any controversy so the agency had decided to stop using these kinds of machines to catch speeding motorists. But, he said that the cameras were still good for identifying those who run red lights because it does not require the computer to perform any calculations and is therefore less controversial.

"If you run a red light, there is no room for negotiation," Wang said.

Wang said radar cameras immediately show speeds so there is no controversy.
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