Syria Today | Smile, you’re on camera

Smile, you’re on camera

Speed cameras on Damascus’s busiest roads began operating last month. Syria Today spoke to local drivers to find out if they think the new measure will ease traffic problems and make the capital’s roads safer.

Deaa al-Fattal, 24, educational supervisor: “Give me suitable infrastructure which serves the street user and I’ll give you a committed user. Where’s the wisdom in bringing the most up-to-date technology in the world to monitor the traffic when the streets are not up to international standards? There’s no point in installing modern technology unless you convince people it is for their benefit.”

Ammar Malas, 48, wholesaler: “I like the idea. It keeps checks on the drivers. I think there should be more cameras and fewer traffic policemen. In reality, there are still more traffic police than cameras. This doesn’t limit the contact between the traffic officer and the driver, which was one of the aims of installing the cameras. On the other hand, most people can’t afford to pay more taxes and penalties.”

Ahlam Shafea’, 27, housewife: “The speed limits and penalties should be revised in the places where the cameras have been installed. Damascus isn’t the only place where accidents occur, in Suweida and Hassakeh there are accidents on the highways every day. We shouldn’t be asking whether or not it is right to install cameras, but whether they have been installed in the right places.”

Ibrahim al-Azab, 53, bus driver: “Why did they choose to install the cameras now? Why didn’t they put them up years ago? There have been no awareness campaigns or articles about them in the media – a half-hour discussion about them on the radio is not enough to inform Syrian drivers. The number of cars on the roads in Damascus is huge, so the priority should be to dilute the flow of traffic. First of all, we need to change the way people approach getting around the city and then develop the infrastructure. In Europe, a speeding fine is sent to your house and you pay it via advanced technologies. Syria doesn’t yet have any of these technologies.”