The launch of a new website, irishspeedtraps.com has caused a fuss by publishing a map of speed camera locations, both fixed and mobile, that are used by gardaí to catch would-be speeders, writes Paddy Comyn.
The site, set up by "a group of Irish motorists who are fed up with the Government and Garda not taking road safety seriously and using dirty tactics disguised as road safety" uses Google Maps technology and allows users to add where they have seen a mobile or fixed speed camera. Once this information is verified, it is published to the site. It also allows users to send photographs of speed camera locations. They also promise to make available a database for GPS systems "in the near future".
Looking at the website, its data suggests that the majority of fixed cameras reside in the northeast of the State, more specifically on the M1, N2 and N3 routes and in the greater Dublin area. The mobile cameras are dotted around the country with the greatest concentration in the larger urban areas and on the main routes.
The site criticises the Garda heavily in its "About Us" section, stating that "Garda 'Gatso' vans equipped with speed detection devices parked on central medians, footpaths and cycle lanes (and causing a safety risk themselves), with the only motive of generating revenue for the Government, are not the answer to improving safety on our roads."
A representative of the website told The Irish Times that the site is not intended to encourage speeding. "The aim of the site is to draw attention to the fact that speed camera locations are not always in the areas where there are the most road deaths. Often they are on some of the country's safest roads and it is hard to accept that these are not for generating revenue."
The representative also said that they have plans to provide text alerts to users of new camera sites.
Assistant Commissioner for Traffic Eddie Rock refutes claims made on the site that speed camera locations are all about generating revenue.
"We have no problem with the concept of the website, but we reject the claims that we are only about generating revenue. Of a total of 44,000 speed offences issued, only 611 of these were on motorways. We have extensive data on where the most number of motoring related accidents are occurring in Ireland and we will be basing both our own increased capacity, and the privatised speed camera locations, in these areas. We will be transparent about these and publish where the cameras will be located on our own website in the coming months.
"The aim is not to catch people but to bring about a change in driver behaviour," he said. According to Rock, there will be a media strategy put in place prior to the rolling out of the new cameras next year, in an attempt to seek public compliance first.
A representative of one of the tenders of the new privatised speed cameras told The Irish Times that the aim will be to carry out 6,000 hours of detection over 900 identified blackspots in the country. Every motorist should come across a speed camera every two months, they said. Success of the operation will not be measured in revenue generated, but rather on visibility and the reduction in the number of collisions on accident blackspots.