After the intervention of the Bez Tabu program (TV3), the red light camera and one traffic light—referred to by experts as a trap—were dismantled in Jūrmala, which had ensnared thousands of drivers for years.
Recently, TV3 reported on a camera at an intersection in Majori that, according to data collected by the Jūrmala City Council, recorded 9,580 violations last year, allowing the municipality to collect nearly 290,000 euros. This statistic is only for one year, and the camera had been operating at this location for several years.
Both drivers and experts in traffic organization interviewed by Bez Tabu referred to the camera as a trap, emphasizing that drivers do not consciously run red lights, but everything is organized in such a way that they get caught.
At this location, two synchronized traffic lights operated. After the green light, a yellow light would turn on, which flashed for a maximum of three seconds before switching to red. Since the distance between the traffic lights at the pedestrian crossing was short, many drivers did not have enough time to react and stop before the stop line drawn before the crossing. As a result, they ended up in the camera's view and received fines. Although the setup was controversial in terms of logic and the laws of braking physics, the municipality continued to fine drivers.
Despite the municipality's claim that the camera increases road safety, experts emphasized that it, on the contrary, provokes sudden braking, which increases the risk of collisions.
Shortly after the Bez Tabu segment at the beginning of the year, the municipality made radical and more driver-friendly changes to this section, stopping the mass "milking" of motorists. The red light camera and one of the traffic lights at the pedestrian crossing were dismantled.
The State Joint Stock Company "Latvian State Roads" (LSD) informed back in the middle of last year that the traffic organization at this location had not been coordinated with LSD and pointed out to the municipality the need for its redesign. However, despite these indications, the municipality did not make any changes for a long time and continued to fine drivers, stated lawyer and representative of the Jūrmala Society for the Protection of Interests Guntis Grūba.
Now that the junction has been redesigned, the municipality has apparently acknowledged its mistake, and the fined drivers hope that they will be refunded the fines they paid. However, they will most likely have to go to court for this. The municipality has not yet expressed a desire to voluntarily return the money.
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