'Smart' traffic lights equipped with surveillance cameras to monitor pedestrians and motorists, will soon be installed across the Greek capital, in.gr reported.
The plan was revealed during the presentation of the upgraded Traffic Monitoring and Control Centre (THEPEK) at the Attica Basin.
The locations where the system will be installed, was not revealed.
"After 15 years of operation, THEPEK is once again advancing for the improvement and more efficient management of traffic, in order to ensure the safety of citizens," the Minister of Civil Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis stressed, adding that the goal is safety, everywhere, in the neighbourhoods, the streets, the islands, the seas, but also the unimpeded traffic of pedestrians on the streets of Athens.
The new traffic lights will also include red-light cameras, which detect and record the speed of a vehicle by using electronic detectors that are embedded in the road’s surface. These detectors both accurately measure the speed of a vehicle as well as its location when the traffic lights change to red. If the speed of a vehicle exceeds the speed limit or enters into the intersection on a red-light, a digital photograph is taken of the vehicle.
The results of the pilot program will be evaluated in order to expand the measure throughout Attica.
It was also announced that all existing road traffic control cameras will be upgraded.
