Phnom Penh police officials say six months is long enough to learn new traffic rules, and it will soon be time to start fining drivers for violations.
Municipal Police Chief Soun Chheangly said police standing at major intersections giving instructions over loudspeakers have been trying to educate drivers to respect traffic lights, stop their vehicles properly outside of crosswalks and decrease accidents.
But policemen have a difficult job because many drivers are so disorderly, he said. “Police speak through the microphone until their voices can’t be heard.”
He would like to put the new system of fines in place either next month after the Water Festival or by Jan 1 at the latest.
“Without fines, drivers will remain disorderly like they are today,” Soun Chheangly said. He has written a proposal for the city to start fining though he doesn’t yet know what the fines will be.
Chea Vannath, president of the Center for Social Development, agreed that levying fines would make drivers more cautious, but also urged authorities to work on the problem of drivers who never attend training classes.
