Los Montesinos Town Council is to install cameras capable of identifying and fining drivers who run red lights on Avenida del Mar, the municipality’s principal town-centre thoroughfare.
Two camera systems will monitor traffic travelling in both directions through the junction with Calle Carlos Díez. The council has classified the two-way intersection as a high-risk location.
The equipment will read vehicle registration plates, photograph suspected offences and create an evidence file for examination by the Local Police. Officers must verify that an offence occurred before issuing a penalty.
According to Spain’s Directorate General of Traffic, running a red light carries a €200 fine and the loss of four points from the driver’s licence.
The council says the system is intended to reduce traffic violations and lower average speeds through the junction. Avenida del Mar carries both local traffic and vehicles travelling to and from the surrounding area.
Contractor Paid for Each Processed Offence
The initial contract will run for two years, with the possibility of extensions taking it to a maximum of four years.
The tender establishes a maximum payment of €11.57 plus VAT to the contractor for every reported violation that results in a fine. The successful company will supply and invest in the equipment, meaning its income will increase according to the number of penalties processed.
Although the council maintains that the scheme’s primary purpose is to discourage dangerous driving and improve road safety, it will also generate additional municipal revenue.
Police to Review Evidence
The cameras will not automatically produce a fine every time they detect a potential offence.
When a vehicle appears to cross the junction against a red light, the system will take photographs and may also record video. The evidence will then be transferred to a management platform for assessment by Local Police officers.
Records must show the vehicle’s registration number, the date, time and location, the traffic-light phase and the wider circumstances of the manoeuvre.
Images must also carry a digital watermark guaranteeing they have not been altered. The contract includes maintenance, staff training and the installation of signs warning motorists that red-light cameras are operating.
The tender requires safeguards against incorrect penalties. The equipment will be regarded as malfunctioning if it generates two enforceable false positives during one month or five within a three-month period.
The system will also allow authorised registration numbers to be placed on a “whitelist”. This facility is commonly used to exclude emergency, public-service or other authorised vehicles.
Cameras Spreading Across Vega Baja
Los Montesinos, which has a population of approximately 5,800, joins several other small Vega Baja municipalities that have introduced similar enforcement systems.
San Miguel de Salinas installed cameras on Calle Galant Delgado, where two systems monitor both approaches. The council described the location as critical because of two-way traffic, schoolchildren crossing the road and accidents recorded in recent years.
The €12,100 contract, including VAT, was awarded to TST Telecomunicaciones y Desarrollo 98.
San Isidro also operates a red-light enforcement system at the junction of Calle Tierno Galván and the CV-909. Its installation included a number-plate recognition camera and an additional overview camera for traffic monitoring and enforcement.
However, the municipality has reportedly failed to publish the contract award on Spain’s Public Procurement Portal, despite being legally required to do so.
Algorfa introduced its own scheme during 2026 through a technical support contract covering speeding and red-light offences. The agreement has an estimated value of €336,000 because it also includes a mobile speed camera and three radar housings.
Los Montesinos, San Miguel de Salinas, San Isidro and Algorfa each have fewer than 10,000 residents and are all governed by the PSOE. In each case, the systems were introduced without a prominent public announcement before installation.
