Swiss motorists are bracing for the imminent arrival of the Trafistar SR590 - a new speed camera able to detect multiple traffic offenses.

The Swiss-built device, due to be put into service at the end of August in Geneva, can simultaneously monitor the speed of 22 cars in four lanes, not just the normal two. It can also spot nine other driving misdemeanors.

Drivers who tailgate or trespass into bus or cycle lanes, who fail to give way to pedestrians or to traffic to the right, who overtake in a dangerous manner, fail to halt at a stop sign or who make an unauthorised turn have been warned.

Despite the SR590’s ability to multitask, it will start with the regular job of catching speeding motorists and red light offenders. The $77,000 device, made by Zurich firm Multanova, is equipped with the latest 3D tracking radar technology, which allows it to pinpoint the precise position of each vehicle and follow its movement.

“This explains why some people escape fines,” Stefan Guggisberg, director of Multanova, told swissinfo.ch at his office in Uster, east of Zurich. “Cameras today are not accurate enough. They also suffer from interference from nearby vehicles.”

Geneva police, who have been testing the new camera on the Mont Blanc Bridge in the centre of the western Swiss city, say they are satisfied and plan to install three more super cameras to replace older models.

Around 100 speed camera boxes keep a watchful eye on Geneva’s roads, but “only one-third have cameras inside”, explained Eric Grandjean, spokesman for the Geneva police.

Daniel Menna, spokesman for the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention, welcomes the arrival of the new camera. “I think it’s good that it can check other offences than just speed,” he said. “There are lots of accidents due to drivers not respecting who has priority.”

Jean-Marc Thévenaz, in charge of safety at Touring Club Switzerland (TCS), the country’s main motorists’ organization, said he hoped the new super cameras would be used correctly to check drivers at fault. “But we’ll be watching carefully to see if they are just there to make money,” he said.

swissinfo.ch