Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I ask the Minister of State, on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, to outline why speed vans and speed cameras are not located in dangerous black spots but appear to be placed in areas where speed increases out of necessity. The general public would hold that many of them are placed in borderline areas where the speed limit changes from 50 km/h to 80 km/h or from 50 km/h to 100 km/h and where it is easy to get caught. It would appear, therefore, that the purpose of these speed vans and speed cameras is to prioritise revenue collection over encouraging positive driver behaviour. If that is the case, it is blatantly unfair. What is the purpose of speed vans and cameras and what is the policy on their location? Who decides where they are located? Is it the Garda Síochána that makes those decisions? It does not make sense to me that it would be the Garda Síochána, because gardaí themselves are now getting caught while driving official Garda vehicles. I just did an interview for Galway Bay FM before coming into the Chamber about this very issue and received two calls immediately afterwards from gardaí who told me that they were caught in patrol cars while travelling to a serious incident. Serious administration time is being wasted here because, as the Minister of State knows, gardaí are exempt when they are on official business.

I will give the Minister of State a number of examples of black spots where one will be caught speeding and fined €80. The first is on the Tuam Road, near the main post office in Galway. One post office worker was caught there twice while coming out of the main post office. The speed limit is 50 km/h, but to get into the traffic he had to travel at 62 km/h on one occasion and 67 km/h on another; otherwise, he would have caused an accident or would never have got into the right lane. At the very same spot, an 82 year old man from Corrandulla was caught three times in one day, even though, generally speaking, 82 year old men are not speeders. I know of another case in which a taxi driver was caught three times in 27 minutes. In my own area of Oranmore on the coast road, one will see a speed camera van almost hidden, in the manner of a vehicle carrying out a covert operation. The widely held view is that this is nothing to do with improving driver behaviour but is simply a revenue-collecting exercise for the State.

I ask that the Minister review the speed limits in these areas because, at 50 km/h, they are too low. Instead of improving driver behaviour, they are actually causing dangerous driving. We should not be wasting Garda administrative time in this regard. We should also not be making gardaí feel they are in the wrong when they are trying to reach an incident in a timely manner. We must insist that these vans be located in accident black spots. Who is deciding the location of these speed vans? Where is all of the money going? How much money has been collected to date? Is the money going to the people in the vans? Are they on commission? If they are on commission then obviously they are going to go to locations where it is easy to catch people.

Finally, can speed vans park on private lands? I know of a case where a van was pulled in at Bushy Park church. It was actually parked on church grounds and fines were issued from that spot. The fine is €80 a pop, which is a lot of money, particularly if people are getting caught not once but twice and three times in a single day. That is a person's income for the day gone. We are talking about getting people back to work and giving them a fair deal, but there is no fairness in this system. It is full of errors. I look forward to the Minister of State's response.

Dara Murphy (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, who regrets that she is unable to be present due to other business.

The Minister is in ongoing contact with the Garda Commissioner regarding a wide range of road safety matters, but the House will appreciate that detailed speed enforcement strategy is principally an operational matter for the Garda authorities. The Minister has asked that I emphasise that the purpose of safety cameras is to reduce speed-related collisions and save lives. Location is determined by road safety considerations and not by revenue generation. An Garda Síochána has contracted a service provider, GoSafe, to operate safety cameras in designated speed enforcement zones. These sections of the road network were identified following an extensive analysis of five years of collision data for incidents in which speed was deemed the primary contributory factor. GoSafe operates in addition to Garda safety camera vans, which are marked and unmarked and operate both within and outside speed enforcement zones.This provides additional flexibility, again with the emphasis being on addressing dangerous driving behaviour.

The Minister would like to clarity that GoSafe is paid based on the number of hours of surveys and monitoring. The number of detections has no bearing on the payments made. An Garda Síochána utilises the speed enforcement zones to direct enforcement activity in a proportionate and targeted manner, including through the use of safety camera vans. Signage is erected at the start of each speed enforcement zone. The locations, some of which the Senator mentioned, are in the public domain and are available on the Garda Síochána website.

Speed enforcement zones are continually reviewed in light of survey data, collision history and local feedback to ensure enforcement activity is targeted at the locations where collisions are occurring. Monitoring is also carried out at set times and days based on when collisions occur. A higher weighting, and subsequently more monitoring hours, are assigned to those locations where compliance rates are lowest.

When the safety camera network commenced in November 2010, a total of 518 stretches of road were selected as speed enforcement zones. Since then, additional zones have been identified as having a collision history suitable for inclusion while others no longer merit inclusion based on welcome changes in driver behaviour. The total number of zones currently stands at 727. Compliance has increased across the zones since the network was introduced. For example, between January 2011 and October 2013, compliance in 50 km/h zones increased from 62% to 98%, with compliance in 80 km/h zones increasing to 96% in the same period. These are very significant improvements in driver behaviour.

All of the analysis carried out points to the conclusion that the safety cameras have saved lives and, therefore, bring enormous human and economic benefits. We are not aware of the people who are alive because of speed cameras but there are people who are living very productive and happy lives thanks to their introduction. Moreover, research carried out on behalf of the Road Safety Authority in 2014 found that 81% of adults surveyed supported the use of safety cameras and 71% surveyed believed them to be effective in influencing motorists to drive more safely. This support is very welcome and the Minister would call on all in the community to take the utmost care when driving.

The unfortunate reality is that people ignore speed limits - the Senator named a few incidences this morning - and a significant number of fatalities and serious injuries arise as a result of speeding. Last year, 196 people tragically lost their lives on our roads. Slowing down would have prevented many of these fatalities. In conclusion and on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, I again thank the Senator for raising these important issues. I am sure we are all united in supporting An Garda Síochána in addressing dangerous driving. I must revert to the Senator in respect of the question about the revenue raised as I do not have that specific information.

Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that the Minister of State has given me a comprehensive reply. Of course, I support any initiative that would save lives. In his reply, the Minister of State said that data, including local feedback, have been taken into account to identify blackspots where collisions are occurring. I will check this but I have no evidence that collisions are occurring in the areas I have mentioned such as that stretch of the Tuam road near the post office, the coast road in Oranmore and the section near St James' Church in Bushypark. What has the Minister of State to say in response to what I have put to him about the prevalence of people in such areas as Cregmore, Claregalway and Corrandulla getting fines repeatedly without evidence of collisions? What is his response to my comment about gardaí saying that they are fed up being caught themselves? Why are they not being filtered out?

Dara Murphy (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The first thing I would say to people in those areas if they are repeatedly being caught is "slow down". The reality is that everybody has a part to play in road safety and preventing harm to other users. Excessive or inappropriate speed continues to be a significant contributory factor in the number of serious and fatal injuries we have. The fact that people are being caught speeding does not seem to be an argument to move speed camera vans.

Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

That is not what I said. I do not have evidence of-----

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State, without interruption.

Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

That is not what I am asking about.

Dara Murphy (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As I said in my initial response, there is the provision for engagement with communities through the Garda to identify areas where there is a further requirement to encourage people to drive more slowly. The introduction of the safety camera network has seen sustained improvements in driver behaviour across speed enforcement zones and in compliance with speed limits.

While I have no specific knowledge about the three parts of Galway that have been mentioned and whether there have been fatalities or serious collisions in the past, the decision regarding where to locate speed cameras or speed camera vans is based on the overriding desire to affect driver pattern, reduce speed and protect lives. The Senator mentioned emergency vehicles. My understanding is that there is provision whereby emergency vehicles that need to exceed the speed limit can have the matter corrected subsequently. It is far better for an administrative, bureaucratic exercise to be undertaken by a member of the Garda Síochána or ambulance service to identify that they were travelling to or from an emergency rather than to remove cameras that have such a very important role in encouraging driver behaviour.