Minister unhappy with delays in speed camera roll-out

I.S.T.

For a measure that will allegedly save so many lives they are taking their time...

http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/national-news/minister-unhappy-with-delays-in-speed-camera-rollout-1497729.html
Minister unhappy with delays in speed camera roll-out
Monday October 13 2008

Junior Minister Noel Ahern has told a conference in Dublin that the nationwide roll-out of mobile speed cameras is not happening as quickly as he would like.

The cameras were initially expected to be introduced in partnership with a private firm earlier this year, but that now appears to be delayed until the middle of next year at the earliest.

Speaking at a road safety conference in Croke Park today, Mr Ahern said the process of introducing the scheme was continuing.

I.S.T.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1014/1223921127211.html

Safety authority calls for funding for privatised speed cameras on roads
TIM O'BRIEN

THE CHAIRMAN of the Road Safety Authority (RSA), Gay Byrne, has said he would be "disenchanted" if the Government does not use today's Budget to fulfil a five-year-old promise to finance privatised speed cameras.

Addressing an international conference on road safety at Croke Park yesterday, Mr Byrne told delegates people thought the RSA "had a fetish about speed cameras", while the cameras were in fact only one of some 126 individual actions in the Road Safety Strategy.

"But", he maintained, "if put into effect on time and in sequence, [ the cameras] will undoubtedly save lives. And I am sure that if they are not put into effect on time and in sequence, undoubtedly lives will be lost."

Mr Byrne warned against "complacency" on road safety and said provision for the camera scheme had been promised "five years ago, then it was four, then three, then two".

He told the audience, which included Minister of State at the Department of Transport Noel Ahern and Assistant Garda Commissioner Eddie Rock, that budgetary provision for the cameras would be "an important commitment, an important statement" about Government support for the Road Safety Strategy.

While he accepted the Government may say it is in the greatest financial crisis ever, he told reporters after his address that "all we can say, rather weakly, is that we are saving lives". He said the lives in question were also those of the politicians themselves and their children.

Estimated costs for the privatised system which involves 6,000 hours of monitoring of traffic by mostly mobile cameras have been put at €25 million. However, much, if not all, of the money is expected to be recouped in fines paid by speeding motorists.

In his address, assistant commissioner Rock said one of the main reasons for the downward trend of fatalities in recent years and general overall improvement in road safety was a change in driver behaviour. "Each one of us is responsible for our own attitude," he said, before adding that he would have no hesitation in using covert surveillance to catch loutish behaviour among drivers. "I make no apology for that," he said.

"The proposed privatised cameras would have a ratio of 20 per cent covert use, while the locations of 80 percent will be widely advised," he said.

The conference also heard from Dr Declan Bedford, acting director of public health, population health, at the Health Services Executive, who called for the legal alcohol limits for drivers to be reduced.

According to Dr Bradford, preliminary results of a study of 995 crashes between 2003 and 2005 showed that 31 per cent of deaths each year, on average, were alcohol-related. However, he said, in almost one-third of cases no blood alcohol results for the driver were available.

smash

funding for privatised speed cameras - nice way to spend the budget!!!!

Mena

steve06 wrote: »

funding for privatised speed cameras - nice way to spend the budget!!!!

It's a revenue raiser so makes sense.

smash

It's a waste of money. We need quality built roads, that would save lives!

I.S.T.

steve06 wrote: »

It's a waste of money. We need quality built roads, that would save lives!

EddieRock wrote:

In his address, assistant commissioner Rock said one of the main reasons for the downward trend of fatalities in recent years and general overall improvement in road safety was a change in driver behaviour. "Each one of us is responsible for our own attitude," he said, before adding that he would have no hesitation in using covert surveillance to catch loutish behaviour among drivers. "I make no apology for that," he said.

Nothing to do with all the new motorways then Eddie?

eringobragh

Mena wrote: »

It's a revenue raiser so makes sense.

LOL what country are you living in??? Irish drivers have to be the slowest drivers I've ever encountered

Anyways the whole point of the exercise is so the cameras slow people down and don't make money.

At least Gaybo didn't say I'd a 'disease' again :mad:

I don't think its a viable option in the current climate can't remember the figure but 300million springs to mind.

D_murph

steve06 wrote: »

funding for privatised speed cameras - nice way to spend the budget!!!!

X2^ :rolleyes:

but they will pay for themselves over time though

Steve

Estimated costs for the privatised system which involves 6,000 hours of monitoring of traffic by mostly mobile cameras have been put at €25 million. However, much, if not all, of the money is expected to be recouped in fines paid by speeding motorists.

Why? because they don't feckin work. If they did, nobody (or very few) would be speeding and they wouldn't recoup anything.:rolleyes:

:mad::mad::mad:

E92

By the Government's own admission, motorways/dual carriageways will cut deaths on our roads by a factor of between 7 and 10.

So there's the solution to our problems.

Anyway they are so short of cash, combined with the fact that the fatality rate this year has (thankfully) dropped quite significantly, that I would be fairly certain this will not be happening any time soon.

By the way, in last week's Irish times, there was an excellent article on the whole thing and about the speed limit free German Autobahns.

See here for more.

eringobragh

E92 wrote: »

By the Government's own admission, motorways/dual carriageways will cut deaths on our roads by a factor of between 7 and 10.

So there's the solution to our problems.

by the way, in last week's Irish times, there was an excellent article on the whole thing and about the speed limit free German Autobahns.

See here for more.

Great article...

The thread is missing something??

....Waits for the PC Brigade/Cycling Fanatic to ruin this thread

Top Dog

eringobragh wrote: »

Anyways the whole point of the exercise is so the cameras slow people down and don't make money.

I know you typed it, but do you honestly believe that? Really? Speed cameras are nothing more than a glorified money spinner. Yet another way in which to generate revenue from the motorist. Saftey is the spin, money is the real reason.

Cookie_Monster

E92 wrote: »

See here for more.

Great story.
Thanks for the link

Cookie_Monster

Top Dog wrote: »

Speed cameras are nothing more than a glorified money spinner. Yet another way in which to generate revenue from the motorist. Saftey is the spin, money is the real reason.

+1

norrie rugger

eringobragh wrote: »

Anyways the whole point of the exercise is so the cameras slow people down and don't make money.

I have to laugh when I see people saying crap like this (and meaning it)

What help is a camera to speeding? People will slow down at the point of the camera and speed up again if they want to.

Yakult

E92 wrote: »

By the way, in last week's Irish times, there was an excellent article on the whole thing and about the speed limit free German Autobahns.

See here for more.

Thats a great artical I must say!

The germans know how to do it.

Top Dog wrote: »

I know you typed it, but do you honestly believe that? Really? Speed cameras are nothing more than a glorified money spinner. Yet another way in which to generate revenue from the motorist. Saftey is the spin, money is the real reason.

+1

norrie rugger

R_H_C_P wrote: »

Thats a great artical I must say!

The germans know how to do it.

True
They are mature enough to obay the rules
The writer is correct, can you imagine that system here?

Some of the driving at 120KMH worries the hell out of me, imagine it at closer to 200!!

Run_to_da_hills

The longer they wait the more technologically advanced these devices become. :eek:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20060611/ai_n16477434

Cookie_Monster

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

The longer they wait the more technologically advanced these devices become. :eek:

I bet you secretly work for and RFID & Technology company and your posts are a really a front to raise awareness of the genious products you sell.:D

Run_to_da_hills

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

I bet you secretly work for and RFID & Technology company and your posts are a really a front to raise awareness of the genious products you sell.:D

I cannot mention the "A" or the "R" word in this forum anymore. :mad:

eringobragh

norrie rugger wrote: »

I have to laugh when I see people saying crap like this (and meaning it)

What help is a camera to speeding? People will slow down at the point of the camera and speed up again if they want to.

That was my point they don't work if they did they shouldn't make money.;)

Top Dog wrote: »

I know you typed it, but do you honestly believe that? Really? Speed cameras are nothing more than a glorified money spinner. Yet another way in which to generate revenue from the motorist. Saftey is the spin, money is the real reason.

See above, I'm well aware that their a cash cow

norrie rugger

eringobragh wrote: »

That was my point they don't work if they did they shouldn't make money.;)

I got that, hence hte (and meaning it) portion of the post.

If they are going to put them in, then I wish that they are the "averaging speed" variety, where you have two cameras a set distance apart