It is still there: uprooted and “lying” on the ground beyond the guardrail. This is the speed camera located on the southern ring road in the direction of Via Spezia, towards the Via Farnese exit, which has been torn up at the side of the road for a few days.
“The yellow”
It’s been like this for about a week and the “phenomenon” has attracted the attention of several Parma residents in recent days. A “mystery” that has caused motorists to discuss: could it have been an accident or the act of vandalism by a “fleximan” from Parma? Many have asked themselves, even on social media. And here is the answer that removes all doubts: the investigations confirm that it was not a collision or an accident, but an act of vandalism.
Is there a mysterious “fleximan” who is “prowling” around Parma, as happened in Veneto a few months ago, ready to attack the facilities and proclaim himself the avenger of motorists harassed by speed cameras?
For now it doesn’t seem like it, given that this latest episode is, in recent times, the only one that has occurred in this way. Meanwhile, on the gray booth of the velox it is possible to observe a circled “A” (the “signature” of the “anarchist” groups), but it is not known whether the writing was already present before the vandalism.
Is it a gesture of denunciation, to claim something? Perhaps carried out by the same “hands” who smeared paint on the ZTL cameras in January? There are no certain answers yet, but only hypotheses.
The investigations
The investigations are still ongoing, the videos from the cameras will be examined to understand who committed the act and how the velox was knocked down. The local police also filed a complaint. Furthermore, to prevent another “attack” on the other speed cameras in the city, checks by the police will be intensified.
But what do the “culprits” risk? The removal or destruction of speed cameras can be classified as different types of crimes. On the one hand there is in fact article 15 of the Highway Code: damage is a crime punished with an administrative fine (from 42 to 173 euros). On the other, the Penalty, which can include imprisonment of up to 3 months and a fine of up to 5 thousand euros.
In any case, the “hit” of the vandal (or vandals) was unsuccessful: of the two present on that stretch of road, the velox was the only one inactive.
Anna Pinazzi
