Hazardous Wicklow road to host one of nine static speed safety cameras

The new Wicklow speed camera will be located on the busy R772 road, with the remaining eight cameras on the N59 (Galway), N25 (Waterford), N14 (Donegal), N80 (Carlow), Dublin (Dolphin’s Barn), N17 (Mayo), N22 (Cork) and N69 (Limerick).

Highlighting that static-speed safety cameras have been proven internationally to reduce speeding, a Garda spokesperson noted that the locations of the new cameras were selected based on fatal and serious injury collision data from the last seven years, speed data, as well as feedback from stakeholders.

Site visits and partnership engagement are ongoing to progress the engineering for the installation of the cameras and road users will be advised of the location of static speed safety cameras through road signage.

The nine static speed cameras are being funded from the Garda budget at a cost of approximately €2.4 million over the next 18 months.

These cameras will join the average speed cameras for the N3 (Butler’s Bridge), N5 (Swinford), and N2 (Slane), which are expected to be operational in early Q4 2024. There are also 55 safety cameras currently operated via GoSafe vans - this will increase to 58 in the coming weeks.

In addition, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has requested that Assistant Commissioner Roads Policing develop a business case for the introduction of a further 100 static speed cameras.

Assistant Commissioner Roads Policing and Community Engagement Paula Hilman, said: “Static speed safety cameras have been proven in other countries to be highly effective in changing driver behaviour and reducing speed, which is a key contributor to road deaths.

"Speed cameras slow drivers down. The lower speeds people drive at, the lower the number of road deaths.”