The Institute for Road Safety has issued a statement regarding unacceptable and life-threatening technical violations in the installation and operation of metal portal structures for cameras/sensors on high-speed boulevards in the city of Sofia. Here is what the experts write:
Based on field inspections and photo documentation conducted by teams of the Road Safety Institute, we are alerting to striking, criminal negligence in the installation of massive steel frame and cantilever structures (frames for cameras and control systems), located in close proximity to the traffic lane on key boulevards with intensive and high-speed traffic.
The attached photo documentation shows a complete destructuring of engineering standards, a systematic lack of investor and construction control, as well as a direct threat to the life and health of road users.
Main discussion of the identified critical violations:
Anchor joints, “hanging in the air“ without pouring concrete:
All photographed objects show that the supporting foundation plates of the pillars are raised tens of centimeters above the terrain, with the anchor bolts hanging completely in the air (not filled with anti-shrinkage high-strength concrete/cement mortar). The anchor bolts are subjected to bending moment and buckling for which they are not designed. In the event of static wind or dynamic impact, the structure is at risk of sudden shear and collapse.
Illegal commissioning of unfinished facilities:
Although the fundamental reinforcement has not been carried out (no pouring, cable routes are exposed, inspection holes are open and unsecured), electronic equipment and cameras have already been installed and are functioning on the frames. The commissioning of such structures is a gross violation of the ZUT and Regulation No. 2 on the commissioning of construction works.
Installation outside the restrictive systems (bumpers) and lack of passive safety:
The structures are located in the area of possible vehicle exit from the roadway, without being protected by passive safety restrictive systems (bumpers) or deformable buffers. In the event of a collision with such a solid obstacle at a speed of 70-90 km/h, the unsecured massive pole acts as a guillotine for the vehicle and its passengers.
Unsecured electrical installation and construction chaos:
Cable routes and hoses hang directly above pedestrian and road areas, the inspection windows of the poles are without covers, and unsecured construction excavations, hanging tapes and plastic bottles are left around the foundation. This is evidence of the lack of any control over the contractors.
We cannot build road safety with fear
The Road Safety Institute supports the use of modern control technologies.
But control should not become an end in itself.
When the public does not receive enough information about what is being built, what are the technical characteristics of the system, who manages it, what data is collected and how this data is stored, speculation and fear inevitably arise.
And fear is not a sustainable model for managing behavior.
Loyalty achieved through fear sooner or later turns against the one who imposes it.
The state must build trust, not fear.
Technology should be an instrument of the law, not a substitute for risk management.
It is especially important to know What exactly can these cameras do?
Public information shows that the system is not just video surveillance. Specialized cameras are planned for automatic license plate recognition and automatic documentation of violations.
It is also publicly announced that there are possibilities for detecting various violations - using a phone, not wearing a seat belt, wrong lane changes, running a red light, etc.
This makes transparency even more important.
The greater the technological capabilities of a surveillance system, the greater the requirements for its control, legality and public accountability.
Our demands to the institutions:
1. Immediate shutdown and securing of all sighting facilities until they are brought into full compliance with building codes.
2. Full inspection by the DNSK of the construction documentation, Act 15 and Act 16 (if any) for the installed frames.
3. Announcement of the names of the designers, construction supervision and municipal/state officials who signed and allowed this institutional racketeering on the safety of citizens.