Fine for Short Stay
In The Swiss Municipality of Birsfelden, A Remarkable Measure HAS Recently Been Implemented: Motorists Who Stay In The Village For Less Than 15 minutes Automatically Receive A Fine of 100 Swiss Francs (Approximately € 107).
Cameras Record the Duration of Vehicles’ Stay, and Those Who Stay Too Short Pay, Accordination to the German Opinion Magazine Focus . The Rule Has Been in effect Since September and is intended to counter SO-Called Shortcut Traffic. Many Motorists Diverted to Villages Like Birsfelden When there was congestion on highways, resulting in Increasing Traffic Congestion and Nuisance.
The Municipality Wanted to Address this and decided on this intervention. The Impact of the Measure is Greater Than Expected. Where the Municipality Initially Expected about Fifteen Fines per day, An Average of A Thousand Fines per day are now being Issued. That amounts to a daily revenue or over 100,000 francs, or more than a ton in euros.
‘Harassment and rip-off’
Some of the Residents and Visitors Are Critical. Accordance to a quoted road user, it is unnecessary harassment or even a rip-off. The Municipality itsself Emphasizes that it is not about the income. Accordance to the authorities, The Measure is intended to Improve the Quality of Life, with Less Traffic, Less Noise and More Safety in the Village.
A Complication Still Lies in the Navigation Systems That Unintentionally Continue To Guide Traffic Through The Village, Despite The New Rules. The Municipality is Looking for Solutions to Address This Problem.
Also Closures in Germany
The Problem of Shortcut Traffic also plays Elsewhere. Similar Measures Have Been Tasks in Germany. In The Berchtesgadener Land, Certain Villages Have Been Closed to Through Traffic on Busy Days Since September. This Measure Applies on Friday, Weekends and Holidays and is intended to protect residents from the heavy traffic congic congestion traffic jams on the nearby highways.
Struggle not about yet
Yet the Battle Surrounding thesis Surveillance Measures is not about Yet. Professor of Criminal Law Monika Simmler Writes in a Contribution on LinkedIn: “If I Were the Municipality, I would not spend the money yet.” The Automatic Surveillance Could, Accordance to Her, Constitute A Serious Infringement of Personal Freedom and Possible BE in Violation of the Constitution.
She expects Legal Objections and Considers It Likely That The Measures Will Soon Be Tested in Court. Traffic Law Lawyer Manuel Bader Joins the Objections and Points Out That ‘Infringements of Freedom Rights and Privacy Must Be Thoroughly Investigated’.
Photo for Illustration.