Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 October 2011
99 Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will urge all authorities with responsibility to publish their data on speed cameras, including the number of motorists caught at each location, accident rates and casualty rates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31708/11]
View answer100 Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Justice and Equality with regard to speed cameras, if he will give a commitment that if they are located in an area in which the data shows that accidents are not being reduced and that they are only acting as a money raising measure, they will be removed from that location; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31709/11]
View answer101 Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide a detailed breakdown of the revenue collected by each speed camera at each location throughout the country from the period they were first introduced up to 1 September 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31710/11]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 99 to 101, inclusive, together.
As part of the Road Safety Strategy 2007-2012 and the strategic goals of An Garda Síochána, a targeted approach to speed enforcement is undertaken in order to significantly reduce the incidence of fatal and serious injuries and improve road safety. As part of this approach, in November, 2009 a contract was concluded for the provision of an outsourced safety camera network to An Garda Síochána, as excessive or inappropriate speeding is a major factor in road traffic collisions and fatalities. In addition, An Garda Síochána operates eight mobile speed detection vans.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that, in preparation for the roll out of the network, An Garda Síochána, in conjunction with the National Roads Authority, carried out an extensive analysis of the collision history of the road network, as a result of which sections of road were identified where a significant proportion of collisions where speed was deemed the primary contributory factor occurred. Based on this analysis, a list of speed enforcement zones has been developed, with the aim of providing information to motorists in order to raise awareness of the danger of speeding in these zones. An Garda Síochána utilises this information to direct speed enforcement activity in a proportionate and targeted manner. Information on the location of these speed enforcement zones is publicly available, including on the Garda website www.garda.ie. The service provider carries out enforcement with vans which are marked with high visibility reflective material and display safety camera symbols at the predetermined zones.
Surveys are conducted on an ongoing basis to ensure the appropriate deployment of safety cameras on roads which are identified as being subject to inappropriate speed and where fatal and injury collisions occur. The service provider is paid on the basis of enforcement and survey hours worked, and the rates of payment are not linked in any way to the number of detections made. For operational reasons, An Garda Síochána does not publish data in respect of speeding detections made at specific locations.
