New traffic cameras to be installed in Amman, other cities

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has floated a tender for the installation of new cameras in different locations across the capital and other cities with the aim of curbing traffic violations and ensuring public safety, a GAM official said Saturday.

Mohammad Faouri, director of joint management at GAM, said the JD4.6 million tender was floated in September and the deadline for receiving bids is mid-November. 

“The project will entail installing cameras in Amman and other cities in the Kingdom. The municipality will cover JD1.6 million. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs will take care of the remaining JD3 million for other cities,” he told The Jordan Times. 

Twenty cameras will be installed on traffic lights and fixed radars in Amman, according to Faouri, while 95 cameras will be installed outside the capital. 

Earlier this year, GAM began operating 22 cameras to ensure public safety and organise traffic flow.

The GAM official noted that the new cameras will have the same purpose as the existing ones, recording various traffic violations such as failure to use seatbelts, expired car licences, speeding, driving in the wrong lane, using mobile phones while driving and crossing red lights. 

“The new cameras will also monitor the distance between vehicles on the street. We noticed that the areas where cameras were installed have recorded a drop in the number of violations and accidents. Some areas witnessed a 60 per cent drop in accidents,” he added. 

Central Traffic Department Director Col. Yaser Harahsheh told The Jordan Times that the department chooses the locations of the cameras.