North Macedonia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs will begin full enforcement this weekend of the automated Safe City traffic monitoring system, introducing fines based on camera-detected violations in major urban centres, according to local reports.
The system, equipped with networked cameras and integrated software, is designed to detect and record moving violations such as speeding and other traffic infringements across key arterial roads in Skopje, Tetovo and Kumanovo. Enforcement, which until now had been limited to warnings, will start with immediate penalties for recorded offences.
The Safe City initiative has been in development for months as part of broader efforts to improve road safety and reduce traffic incidents, officials said. Authorities have urged drivers to update vehicle registration and driver data ahead of the transition to automated fines.
Local media outlets reported that new regulations will see first violations recorded without leniency, signalling a shift from the previous practice of issuing advisories before imposing sanctions. Police and the ministry have launched public information campaigns to familiarize motorists with the system’s operational areas and the rules governing its use.
Critics of the initiative have raised concerns over privacy and the accuracy of automated enforcement, while supporters argue that similar systems have yielded reductions in traffic injuries and deaths in other European cities. Government sources have said the system is calibrated to meet national and international standards for civil and road enforcement technologies.
Financial penalties for violations recorded by the cameras are expected to be codified in supplementary regulations in the coming weeks, with details to be published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.