‘Permanent cameras would be better than speed vans’

SIR,

Let me first say that I am fully in agreement about controlling speed on our roads.

I live on a straight stretch of road that is three kilometres long and has three speed limits in its length. First you have an 80kmph limit then a 60kmph then a 50kmph outside a national school, reverting back to a 80km once more. The 50kmph and 60kmph limits are speed controlled by way of mobile camera vans. While they do a limited job, the top speed recorded going through our area is 180kmph.

The length of time spent in the courts dealing with the number of fines for our area alone has led a judge to utter the immortal words: ‘What are they doing out there? Shooting fish in a barrel?’.

They are now proposing to speed-camera-control hundreds of new areas in addition to these already controlled. Does this mean that dozens more camera vans are going to be provided or that less time will be spent on those already controlled?

These vans, while doing a limited job, are at present parking a lot of times in places where they should not be:

- At entrances to fields where farmers may require access at any time.

- At recesses provided by private houses for off-site parking.

- At recesses at estate entrances which provide a line of sight for cars coming on to the main road and, therefore, creating a traffic hazard.

These vans are doing a very limited job of work and are surely out of date.

In this day and age, permanent camera positions working 24/7 would surely provide a better option.

These cameras could be controlled from centres around the country and would do much more than catch speeding vehicles.

They would detect tax, insurance and NCT defaulters as well. These vehicles should not be able to be taxed, insured, NCT’d or sold until the fines that they have accrued are paid. Fines not paid for over a 12-month period should result in the vehicle being taken and sold or crushed. This would free up a lot of our courts’ time.

In England, police cars already have these cameras installed and can check travelling vehicles. So if we are serious about road safety, now is the time to act, Sincerely,

Michael O’Meara, Faha, Killarney.