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A camera at the railroad crossing in Uster has generated approximately 1.1 million francs in bus fare revenue. (File photo)
IMAGO/dieBildmanufaktur
A camera at the railroad crossing in Uster has generated about 1.1 million francs in fine revenue for the city police. Now the question arises: Was that even legal?
Last year, the city of Uster collected 3.2 million Swiss francs in fines—significantly more than ever before. A single camera at the railroad crossing near the train station was responsible for nearly a third of that amount, bringing in about 1.1 million Swiss francs for the city police. But was that even legal?
The camera, which had been installed at the railroad crossing in February 2025, turned on automatically whenever the flashing warning lights came on. Anyone who then drove across the tracks without authorization was filmed and received a fine of 250 francs. Between February and October 2025, this affected approximately 4,400 people.
As reported by the *Tagesanzeiger* reports, at least one person who received a fine successfully filed an appeal against it. The camera has since been deactivated.
In response to an inquiry from the *Tagesanzeiger*, Security Director Beatrice Caviezel (GLP) explained that the Uster City Police and the Federal Institute of Metrology (Metas) hold “different legal interpretations regarding the nature of the facility in question.” Metas is responsible for the approval and calibration of such systems.
“Essentially, the question was whether this system merely captures and documents an infraction visually, or whether it actually measures it—much like a speed gun measures driving speed or a breathalyzer measures the alcohol content in exhaled breath,” Caviezel explains.
If the latter were the case, the system would require official approval and calibration by Metas so that fines could be issued automatically based on the collected data. To do so, the Federal Roads Office (Astra) would have to issue a directive specifically tailored to this use case, which, however, has not happened.
Ultimately, the Uster Police Department decided against commissioning a legal opinion or engaging in a lengthy legal battle. Instead of a permanently installed system, as was initially discussed, the city of Uster is now referring to a “pilot project.”
But what will happen now to the 1.1 million francs that may have been collected without a sufficient legal basis? The city of Uster explained to the *Tagesanzeiger*: “Administrative fines become final upon payment. Therefore, there is no way to reclaim the fines.”
Furthermore, the fundamental permissibility of using the data and the reliability of the evidence are not in question. The differing views on the technical and legal details ultimately raised only one question: whether the automated issuance of administrative fines using this system is permissible.
Deputy Police Commander Sascha Buchmann said at the time: “There is evidence that the law was violated, and it is admissible.”
However, as reported by the *Tagesanzeiger*, one driver is said to have successfully appealed the fine. The case was subsequently dismissed by the district governor’s office. The reasoning: “Based on the available records, it cannot be legally proven that the accused engaged in culpable conduct.”
In total, the Uster District Governor’s Office has now received 138 appeals against the administrative fines. District Governor Markus Ehrensperger told the *Tagesanzeiger*: “When we received reports suggesting that the requirements for the surveillance system might not have been fully met, the processing of cases that had not yet been concluded was temporarily suspended.”
69 of the 138 objections had already been resolved by means of a penalty order at that time. “Since it became apparent that the objections might be well-founded, but the final review would take longer, a dismissal order was issued in the cases still pending,” the statement continues.
Not all the necessary information is available yet. However, “If we conclude that the original administrative fines that led to the issuance of the penalty order were not justified, the fines and fees imposed in the penalty order will be refunded to those affected,” said Ehrensperger. In that case, the Uster District Governor’s Office would independently contact the 69 individuals affected.
At a joint meeting in early July, the high fine revenue collected by the Uster City Police was discussed. The City Council reported that the City Police had allegedly split up invoices to circumvent oversight by higher authorities.
The city police reportedly exceeded their budget by 1.4 million francs without informing the city council. Among other things, they purchased a police car worth 100,000 francs and barricades worth 160,000 francs.
The parliamentary review will take place after the summer break in the Parliamentary Commission on Public Services and Security (Kös). The SVP/EDU caucus is also calling for the establishment of a parliamentary commission of inquiry (PUK).
Earlier this year, blue News reported on a similar incident in Birsfelden reported. There, an automated ticketing system in the form of a measurement device had caused quite a stir.
The municipality had installed cameras that record license plate numbers and issue fines to vehicles that remain in the neighborhood for less than 15 minutes. Since the system was introduced, fines totaling millions are said to have been collected.
The Federal Council ultimately stated that, according to the Federal Roads Office, the measuring system in question is not approved under the Measurement Act. Furthermore, enforcement of traffic laws is generally the responsibility of the cantons.
21.07.2026, 21:29
21.07.2026, 23:45
