A speed radar situated not far from the Italian border town of Ventimiglia is causing outrage among motorists in the area, many of whom say they have received repeated fines from the reportedly unauthorised installation. Now, they are banding together to fight back against the rogue radar, threatening a class action lawsuit to have it removed and their fines revoked.
Not-so-affectionately called the “cash machine”, the radar leading out of Porra, a hamlet just outside Ventimiglia, has reportedly flashed thousands of drivers on the SS20 since its installation in July 2023.
This is the job of a speed camera, one might argue, but locals say that this particular radar should be decommissioned as it was installed without notice and is positioned in a location they believe to be wholly unnecessary.
The radar has been installed on a straight section of road, with no pavements, crosswalks or other apparent reasons to justify its appointment. It clocks motorists driving in excess of 50 km/h and reportedly nabbed 40,000 people in its first six months.
One particular irk of the radar is that it seems to be lacking the standard flash function that alerts drivers to their excessive speed and lets them know the location of the radar.
Since May 2024, Sanremo’s Justice of the Peace has annulled several of the speeding fines linked to the radar, citing two specific reasons: the radar has not been approved by the necessary authorities and a Prefectural decree authorising its legal installation cannot be found.
Many of the drivers who have received fines from the SS20 radar have decided to fight their tickets in court, and an Italian lawyer, Marco Mazzola, is now taking on clients who feel they’ve been wronged.
According to local media reports, roughly 100 people met in Breil-sur-Roya recently to discuss their options and see what can be done to get excessive fines repealed, as well as looking at other possible appeals.
“For those who paid, we will see with Italian law how to make a class action,” Mazzola told France 3, adding that criminal action may be a possible recourse.
For the time being, however, officials in Ventimiglia have said that they are not going to remove the “cash machine,” despite the fact that it still has not been approved.
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