Though few drivers care to admit to it, many fall foul of speed cameras, especially if they come out of the blue. This was exactly the case in Neuchâtel, where a temporary speed limit led to 40 percent of cars passing through being fined.
Our story starts in the Neuchâtel town of Le Locle, where a major construction project is in the works. Faced with excessive amounts of traffic passing through the town, a brand new bypass road is being constructed by the local council in a bid to ease congestion.
To make sure workers are protected as they build the bypass, a new 30-kilometre-per-hour speed limit was imposed on the nearby Rue de France. To make sure motorists were abiding by the lower limit, on March 20 Swiss police set up a random speed check on the road.
Over the course of just one day, police discovered that 40 percent of drivers were breaking the speed limit. Of the 1.301 vehicles that passed through on the day, 523 were over the speed limit and 512 were going quickly enough to warrant a fine.
While temporary speed cameras are highly unpopular among motorists, Neuchâtel police wrote in a statement that they are imperative to ensure the safety of workers. They noted that 11 drivers were driving at 15 km / h over the speed limit, while one was caught driving 86 km / h, more than 50 km / h above the limit. The latter driver faces either one to four years in prison or a fine, depending on his previous criminal record, and will be stripped of his driving licence for at least two years.
Faced with the high rates of speeding, the emergency services confirmed that they would be carrying out more regular checks on the road. The new bypass around Le Locle is expected to be completed in 2030.