Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. As she said, the NTA has a role to play in this. It relates to some of the discussion we have had in recent weeks about the possibility of a transport police force, which is an idea that has merit. We can no longer divide the issue of enforcement from the proper operation of our transport systems.

I get consistent feedback from my constituents in Dublin Central that cars are increasingly pushing the limits of amber lights and outright breaking the red lights, sometimes at speed. An Garda Síochána does not have the proper resources to deal with this issue and it is not practical for it to do so. I can think of better ways for it to use its resources in Dublin Central. Many EU countries operate this red light traffic system very well. The initial trial over an 18-month period in that area of Smithfield mentioned identified 1,300 road users breaking the lights, and I suspect that was a rather conservative estimate. From that trial in 2015 in Smithfield, in 2019, those three additional cameras were installed. That progress seems quite slow.

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