The yellow sentinels, present in more than 50 regions over the island, are out of service since this week and are being dismantled little by little. They will be sent to South Africa for a recalibration exercise. When will they be put back into service? The question remains unanswered.
Covid obligations!
“It is an annual exercise, but what has changed for this year is that the technicians are not able to come to Mauritius to perform this precision task because of Covid 19. They do not want to take the risk of travelling at this time, especially given the situation in their countries at the moment. It would be safer for Mauritius to send these cameras,” relates an officer at Traffic Management and Road Safety. Proguard Ltd, who takes care of the maintenance of these cameras, does not deal with this part.
Other cameras and motor team
There will be no more flashes on our roads, but that does not mean that there will be no controls. According to our source at Traffic Management and Road Safety, “the cameras on the arms of the surveillance posts already record vehicles that have transgressed the limits imposed by the road or region. The only difference is that they don’t flash and their samples are not taken into account when sanctioning. This will change now. In addition, officers and motorcyclists from the Traffic Branch will be deployed throughout the island. They will be equipped with their radar guns to ensure control.” It is not news to anyone that these officers can get very creative during their patrols!
Fines remain and will be served… Rs 2,500 is the fixed penalty for exceeding the limit by less than 15 km per hour, Rs 5,000 for more than 15 km to 25 km/hr, and Rs 10,000 by more than 25 km/hr. Stay alert!
