Estepona is expanding its traffic monitoring network to a total of 400 cameras

The new traffic control cameras will be added to the existing 240 and will be located at 82 points across the town, mostly in the outskirts, according to Ana Velasco, the Deputy Mayor for Development, Infrastructure and Tourism (FIT). The councillor emphasised that this system of smart cameras for traffic management in the town was introduced in 2023 and that Estepona was a “pioneering municipality in the province in terms of the type of technology used”, and she confirmed that the expansion is being rolled out to achieve greater coverage following the results obtained, which, she claims, have shown “an improvement in traffic in the town”.

Estepona’s smart system enables number plate recognition, the geolocation of vehicles, the identification and categorisation of their characteristics, real-time interconnection, and the viewing, record and store all types of data, images and videos on a central server, which is located at one of the town hall’s premises and is accessed from the Local Police headquarters. In the contract, the town hall has stipulated that the entire network may be used to monitor and reduce vehicle speeds and traffic density. Accordingly, plans are in place to install speed control points using approved radar devices and a number plate recognition system, the data from which will be transmitted to the police control centre and linked to the software for managing and processing fines, which the successful tenderer must implement, in order to issue penalties for any offences detected.

‘Now, this system is set to take a qualitative and quantitative leap forward, incorporating new traffic control devices with greater capacity and improved performance, which will enable the application of new technologies to improve traffic flow and ensure immediate action in the event of traffic jams, accidents and, more generally, in relation to the town’s road traffic,” Velasco emphasised.

The contract also includes a system for police use. This is a ‘mobile’ number plate recognition system capable of capturing the identification details of all vehicles it detects, whether ‘parked or in motion’, as set out in the contract’s terms and conditions. The camera’s software will enable the detection of any offence, ranging from breaches of municipal by-laws and illegal parking (such as double parking, parking on a yellow line, on the pavement or in a loading and unloading zone) to road safety offences (such as driving without a valid MOT or without compulsory vehicle insurance).

The system is managed and monitored from the control centre at the Estepona Local Police headquarters, from where the necessary support will be provided to other law enforcement agencies that require it. All network components are installed in accordance with the provisions of the National Security Framework, thereby ensuring the secure transmission of information via the network and compliance with legislation on security and the protection of personal data.