Technologies such as aerial detection and early warning systems on electronic signage will be discussed at a high-level meeting on road safety to address wrong-way driving on motorways.
Minister of State with responsibility for road safety, Seán Canney, has called a meeting on Friday, which will be attended by senior officials from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and the Road Safety Authority, officials from the departments of Transport and Justice and the Garda Commissioner, Justin Kelly.
Canney said he wanted the meeting to examine measures that could alert motorists and gardaí when a vehicle enters a motorway system and travels in the wrong direction.
The meeting will consider the use of warning signage and detection technology, and whether infrastructure for new systems can be incorporated when building roads.
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Canney said he had seen technology capable of detecting a vehicle travelling in the wrong direction and alerting a central control centre within seconds.
“Some people deliberately go down the wrong side of a motorway. That’s the problem. Other people do it because they make a mistake – they take the wrong exit, or it could be dark at night, and they don’t realise.”
He said the aim was to determine how motorists could be alerted at an earlier stage and how the gardaí could be notified as quickly as possible.
“I’ve seen technologies that you can put in which will monitor these events, and within five seconds of a car coming in the wrong direction, the camera will detect it and report it to a central call centre.
“Gardaí are notified about it as it happens, rather than waiting until they’re half a mile down the road before somebody sees it.”
The meeting has been called to address the high incidence of cars driving against traffic in the wrong lanes of motorways and dual carriageways.
There have been a number of incidents reported since the M9 tragedy 10 days ago. On Tuesday, footage was shared on social media of a car deliberately driving against traffic near Blanchardstown in Dublin.
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Canney said the meeting would look at both immediate measures and longer-term solutions.
“I want to bring TII and all the other stakeholders together to see what we can do quickly, and then what we can do in the long term.”
He said consideration should also be given to incorporating the infrastructure needed for such technology into the design of new roads, including the proposed Galway ring road.
“We could build in the infrastructure, like the ducting to put in the technology if it’s needed, rather than not doing anything and then trying to do something afterwards when the road is live,” he said.
Canney said the discussions would also consider engineering solutions and ways of improving road maintenance systems.
He described the meeting as a “brainstorming” session aimed at identifying measures that could be implemented both quickly and as part of the design of future road projects.
