PHNOM Penh pedestrians may soon be a step closer to safer streets with the introduction on May 1 of speed cameras and Breathalysers to prevent speeding and drunk driving.

As part of a South Korean-backed project, speed cameras will be installed at key intersections across the city, Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema told the Post Tuesday.

"The project is in the early stages, and City Hall still needs to determine which intersections and boulevards to install them on," he said.

Key areas already identified for cameras are the intersection of Russian Boulevard near the Royal University of Phnom Penh, at the Japanese-Cambodian Bridge, the Stung Meanchey Bridge, the intersection of Monivong and Sihanouk boulevards, and the intersection of Monivong and Mao Tse-tung boulevards.

"Speed cameras are very important because they can photograph the offender, the place, time, the speed, the number plate and the vehicle colour," said the country's Deputy National Police Chief Ouk Kimlek on Tuesday.

"And the alcohol test will measure the level of driver intoxication by recording the alcohol content in the driver's blood," Ouk Kimlek, who is also the deputy of the National Road Safety Committee, added.

He said this was the first time Cambodia had access to such instruments, and he hoped it would cut road accidents.

Kep Chuktema said the project required training police officials on the use of such cameras.

"Our future plan is to have not just speed cameras, but also an authority to control the traffic," he said. "We will use cameras to monitor the security of the city and its traffic 24 hours a day, as they do in developed countries."