An Garda Síochána has announced the location of nine new speed cameras which are being located at significant collision black spots.
The locations were selected based on fatal and serious injury collision data from the last seven years and speed data. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has asked his roads policing department to draw up a business case for a further 100 static speed cameras.
The nine static speed cameras are being funded from the Garda budget at a cost of approximately €2.4 million over the next 18 months.
These cameras will join the average speed cameras for the N3 at Butler’s Bridge, the N5 at Swinford and the N2 at Slane, which are expected to be operational by the end of the year. There are also 55 safety cameras currently operated via GoSafe vans. This will increase to 58 in the coming weeks.
The locations for the nine new static speed safety cameras are: Co Galway, on the N59, between Moycullen and Galway City; Co Waterford on the N25, between Glenmore and Luffany; Co Wicklow on the R772 Arklow Road, Aske, north of Gorey; Co Donegal on the N14, east of Letterkenny; Co Carlow on the N80, between Barristown and Levitstown; Dublin at Crumlin Road/Parnell Road/Dolphin Road/Dolphin’s Barn junction, in Co Mayo on the N17, northeast of Claremorris; in Co Cork on the N22, east of Lissarda, west of Ovens and Co Limerick on the N69, east of Askeaton.
As of 9am on Wednesday, 69 people died on the State’s roads so far in 2024. This is up from 53 for the same period in 2023.
According to the Institute of Transport Economics in Norway, there were statistically significant reductions in collisions within 1km approaching and 100m after a static speed camera location.
Mr Harris has also recently introduced an initiative where every front-line Garda carries out 30 minutes of roads policing activity per shift.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said she welcomed the new static cameras and the proposal for 100 more.
“Technology plays a vital part in road safety initiatives that help to reduce deaths on our roads. Whether its fixed cameras, average speed cameras, GoSafe vans, we need to use technology to work to reverse some of these trends,” she said.
“These cameras are one of the range of initiatives that the Commissioner has announced, including that uniformed Gardaí will devote 30 minutes of each tour of duty to roads policing. We have already seen increases in the number of breath tests undertaken and fixed charge notices issued in the first weeks of this operational activity.”
On Tuesday night, two teenagers, a 17-year-old girl and a male driver who was 19, died in a single-vehicle incident in the Doogary Road of Omagh in Co Tyrone.
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