Skip to main content

IRF Washington advocates for PPPs in traffic enforcement to boost safety

New IRF Policy Paper outlines effective automated traffic enforcement PPP models. In most countries traffic enforcement cameras and other equipment are purchased, owned, and operated by government organisations. The past two decades have seen a wide-ranging wave of privatisations and introduction of public private partnerships (PPP) in formerly government-owned or controlled activities, including traffic enforcement. Implementing this concept requires a set of principles and good practices presented in
November 10, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
New IRF Policy Paper outlines effective automated traffic enforcement PPP models

In most countries traffic enforcement cameras and other equipment are purchased, owned, and operated by government organisations. The past two decades have seen a wide-ranging wave of privatisations and introduction of public private partnerships (PPP) in formerly government-owned or controlled activities, including traffic enforcement. Implementing this concept requires a set of principles and good practices presented in this IRF policy statement.

In a policy statement released by the IRF and available at 3918 IRF Washington website, good practice guidelines are shared for effective automated traffic enforcement PPP models around the world. These models require at a minimum a private party willing to supply the cameras at no upfront charge to the public party, which could be a municipality, county, state, or nation, and provide a service to issue tickets and collect fines. In these schemes, the private party agrees to recover its investment over time by receiving a negotiated percentage of the fines revenue with a “capped” or maximum monthly or annual payment to the private party established between the public and private party. This cap should not prevent the private party from issuing tickets after this cap is reached, which means a reasonable per ticket fee only to cover the private party’s additional costs should continue after reaching this cap.

Moreover, an independent third party must be hired to approve, routinely inspect, verify and calibrate each camera and the processes to confirm the intended performances.

Lastly, public acceptance of PPP schemes can be strengthened through campaigns pledging that, once the cost thresholds for all the private parties (camera supplier & operator, third party auditors, etc.) are met, revenues generated from the collection of fines are reinvested in road safety related projects.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • IRF Washington highlights future industry leaders
    June 30, 2014
    The IRF has helped educate the next generation of leaders since 1949 Sixty-five years after its founding, the IRF Fellowship Program for graduate students of engineering and transportation policy remains a cornerstone of the IRF’s work. Since 1949, IRF members and donors have helped fund the education of more than 1,346 transportation professionals from 118 countries. The Fellowship Program identifies international students with outstanding potential and helps nurture them as they take their place as the ne
  • Australia responds to infrastructure funding challenge
    July 13, 2012
    The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) has drastically changed the way governments and the private sector is prepared to procure vital infrastructure projects, says Philip Davies Governments have responded to the GFC by focusing on long term investment in transport infrastructure and shorter term stimulus packages to kick-start economies. As these projects proceed, the focus will shift to maintaining and achieving maximum benefits from assets and future infrastructure funding. The Public Private Partnership (PP
  • Safer Roads: More Than Just Progress on Paper
    June 8, 2016
    As the co-chairman of Pillar II (“Safer roads and mobility”) of the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration, I was privileged to be in New York on April 15, 2016 as the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on “improving global road safety” sponsored by 56 UN member states. By a bitter twist of fate, this resolution came to pass as many countries around the world are reporting a notable increase in injuries and deaths on their roads, including in countries that had seen a steady decline
  • Rajasthan Mega Highways boost trade, tourism
    February 17, 2012
    Rajasthan is one of the most favoured tourist destinations of India for both domestic and international traffic on account of its rich array of historical forts, palaces, art and culture.