Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch.com) – Geneva is known as an international city, usually because of the NGOs and other world-level orgnizations it hosts, but lately it’s been hot world news for another reason: its new Trafistar sr590 smart radars.

Fear and loathing, from Ethiopia to New Caledonia, have been prompted by the new radar system, called by one writer “the devil itself”.

The reality of what the new radars will actually do is probably less terrifying than what they are capable of, as Swiss drivers are about to find out, but they are sparking debates about the value of radars and the extent to which police should be using them.

Geneva has been testing the sr590 for several weeks on the Mont Blanc bridge and says it is happy with it. Other police departments plan to follow, with one on order by Ticino and Lausanne likely to order them. The company told swissinfo that it expects to sell 20 by the end of 2010.

The Zurich-manufactured radars, made by Multanova, will be installed in three more areas in Geneva in August.

They are capable of far more precise and detailed monitoring of traffic: it can “simultaneously monitor the speed of 22 cars in four lanes, not just the normal two. It can also spot nine other driving misdemeanours,” reports swissinfo. The actual use will probably be more limited than this, although people who tailgate and change lanes incorrectly might be surprised to receive fines in the mail.

Links to other sites: Cartech (Fre), Le Matin (Fre)