Sutaj Estok: We'll Submit New Road Traffic Act to Government This Week

Liptovsky Mikulas/Bratislava, 27 October (TASR) – The Interior Ministry plans to include a new Road Traffic Act in the agenda of this week's government session, with the bill set to allow municipalities to use stationary speed cameras within the framework of objective liability, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice–SD) announced on Monday during the Interior Ministry's congress with local government leaders. The congress was held on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the restoration of local self-government in Slovakia. Around 1,200 representatives of municipalities attended the event. "We must also keep in mind the need to make the restrictions proportional. It wouldn't be good for traffic if this were done without limits, so we are taking a first step – stationary radar," the minister explained. He added that the Act on Municipal and City Police is almost complete. "I believe that we'll present the bill in November so that you can peruse it in full then. The legislation will grant municipal police the powers requested by mayors. So, once again, we're responding directly to their demands," said Sutaj Estok. Under the auspices of House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice–SD), the ministry also plans to reform crisis management to provide cooperation with mayors, as they are the first point of contact when high winds, floods and earthquakes hit. "We want to build this on the basis of prevention and cooperation between the state and local government," stated the minister. mf/df