A new privatised speed camera system with 60 mobile cameras is to be in place by the autumn under a new contract being finalised by An Garda Síochána. Liam Reid, Environment Correspondent, reports.
The system, which will cost up to €25 million a year to operate, will target more than 600 collision black spots around the country.
The new cameras will be highly visible with advance warning signs for the first six months, and will coincide with a public awareness campaign.
Under the scheme being proposed by the Garda authorities, the vast majority of the speed checks, more than 90 per cent, carried out will be on secondary routes. The intention is to mount the speed cameras in unmarked vans.
They will be operated by specially trained civilians who may also be required to give evidence in court cases if required.
Under legislation already in place, those caught speeding by the devices can be issued with penalty points.
The contract also provides for the Garda to be notified directly of individuals speeding at 50km over the speed limit, when detected.
Two mobile camera vans will be assigned to each Garda division, and at least six are to be operational at any one time during the day. These units will also have the ability to operate at night.
However, they will at all times operate under the direction of the Garda Traffic Corps. The corps will continue to carry out speed checks using their own equipment.
The Irish Timeshas learned that six private companies were shortlisted last Thursday for the contract, which will be worth between €15 and €25 million a year.
They include Parkrite, which has the clamping contract for Dublin City Council and Civic Compliance Ireland - a consortium involving Irish company Newcourt Plc and Tenix Solutions, the Australian firm which operates the speed camera system in the state of Victoria.
The other firms shortlisted are: Irish technology company Alpha Vision Design; Egis Projects, which operates the Dublin Port Tunnel; computer firm Fujitsu Siemens; and facilities management company Serco.
The contract will be awarded by June, and the speed cameras are due to become operational by the autumn. The privatised system, recommended in a number of road safety reports, is the latest element in the campaign to reduce road fatalities. This includes the introduction of random breath-testing, which has been credited with a steep decline in deaths in the last six months.
At the outset, the speed checks will be highlighted by warning signs in order to increase public awareness about the new system.
However, after an initial six months a proportion of the checks will be carried out covertly.
Along with Garda speed checks, the number of vehicles passing through surveillance is expected to rise dramatically to nearly five million a year.
It will mean that the motorists can expect to pass through a check at least twice a year.
In rolling out the new system, the Garda and Road Safety Authority are expected to stress that the system is not designed to raise revenue, and will target traffic black spots as opposed to dual carriageway routes, where less than 3 per cent of road fatalities have occurred in recent years.
The fee paid to the firm which operates the system will not be linked to the number of cars caught speeding by the privatised cameras.