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CAMERAS SPECIFICALLY FOR bus lanes are to be rolled out next year in a bid to tackle speed and misuse, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan has confirmed.
Speaking to reporters at a roundtable interview this week, Ryan said policing of bus lanes is “really problematic” and that driver behaviour has disimproved through and after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ryan said using camera technology to enforce the use of bus lanes will help with speed management in city and urban areas.
The full scale and details of the project have not yet been confirmed but Ryan described it as a “critical project” focused on road safety.
According to the Minister, some €27m has been earmarked to roll out more speed cameras across the country, including average speed cameras on national and primary roads.
These would be similar to the one installed on the N7 and in the Dublin port tunnel.
Average speed cameras involve the use of two cameras at separate points on the road, at least 200 metres apart.
When a driver passes the first camera, it will record their number plate. When they then pass the second camera the system will time how long it took to travel between the two points to calculate the average speed.
Ryan said a priority will be putting these average cameras on primary roads that are not segregated and other dangerous junctions or carriageways where he conceded we “have a real problem” with road safety.
“We don’t have the exact number yet.
“It will be a slow start but next year we will start rolling [them] out seriously.
“It won’t be hundreds. There’ll be a single figure, high single figure,” Ryan said.
The Minister intends to look to the Scottish model of use as a guide for developing the Irish model.
Meanwhile, drivers are being urged to reduce their speed and stay safe on the roads over the festive period after a “horrendous” year for road deaths.
The impact speed can have on casualties and fatalities was emphasised by the Road Safety Authority earlier this month where it stated that if hit at 60km/h, nine in 10 pedestrians will be killed, while if hit at 30km/h, nine in 10 people will survive.
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Any chance of dealing with the huge number of people that roam around dublin in darkness without any lights on their bikes/electric bickes/electric scooters, and even horse-drawn carriages.
@Thomas Sheridan: Dublins just not the only place with all the issues you mention and also you could have included pedestrian footpaths that are becoming increasingly dangerous due to people using e-scooters and bicycles on them.
@Leonard Barry: I see far more cars driving and parking on footpaths in Dublin than I do cyclists, also cars regularly mount footpaths and run people over in this country, so many cases in recent years, this guy ran over 3 people!
https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/three-pedestrians-hit-by-car-after-it-mounts-pavement-in-dublin-1356219.html
But yes everything is cyclists’ fault.
@Thomas Sheridan: I’ve noticed that in every one of these articles about the high numbers of deaths this year someone immediately starts talking about cyclists. Cyclists are not causing probably any of the deaths unless they themselves have been killed. Speeding and driving under the influence by motorists is what does most of it. That’s nothing new but there are definitely way less police checks or police visible. That is likely the main cause.
@eoin fitzpatrick: I’ve driven buses for 20 yrs in Dublin. I’ve seen nothing to support what you’re saying. This is a very rare incident. Cars don’t regularly mount paths and hit people. Rubbish. The RSA have admitted themselves 70% of pedestrians hit by cars are under the influence of alcohol. Most people hit have crossed the road in a reckless manner. You’re obviously a cyclist with an agenda to demonise all drivers. Doesn’t matter if a cyclist rides straight out in front of a vehicle thru a stop sign or red light( I see 100s do this weekly). The cyclist would still be able to claim off the drivers insurance. The driver would be told “You should have expected them to do that” or “Do you think if you had been driving slower you would have been able to stop and not hit them”.
@eoin fitzpatrick: How many people have you seen run over by motor vehicle’s and have you reported it to the Gardai? At least take the reg number of the vehicle and report that.
I have not seen it myself and I look out for things like that but you seem to be a human magnet for this type of bad behavior.
Observe and report, that the trick!
@Darren Rowan: Spot on on every point! What’s slowing down the buses the lack of space due to empty cycle lanes apart from twice a day!
@Gary Kearney: nothing to do with the hundreds of cars (usually carrying individual passengers) that are in their way then? Nope, definitely the cycle lanes.
I’m guessing very few fatal crashes take place in bus lanes, seems like a revenue generating exercise.
@The Green Monkey: it’s more about the selfish gits that drive in bus lanes, slowing down public transport, rather than safety. Needs of the many held up by the selfishness of a few in Irish bus lanes.
Dublin City Council in their wisdom have changed the bus lanes on Drumcondra Road to 24 hour, there seems to be a concerted effort to make vehicle owners (both commercial and private) life’s a misery. Now they plan on enforcing this nonsensical decision by introducing cameras.
@The Green Monkey: It’s a great decision. Bus lane are for bus and taxis, it’s not for your personal use BELLEND.
@The Green Monkey: don’t drive into bus lanes then outside the specified times I hope lots gets caught over Xmas and get fined.
@The Green Monkey: The space lost to the cycle lanes makes it worse again.
Dorset Street to Whitehall can take a long time. Bus lanes or not!
Will they deal with the misuse of normal roads by TFI drivers?
@Matty A: I genuinely would like and explanation to that comment
Has that man really nothing more urgent on his mind?
@Ali123: dont really like the law, do you?
@Ali123: Minister of Transport trying to improve public transport, who’d have thunk it?
@eoin fitzpatrick: This one has made it worse and is going to take years to fix it after he is gone!
A more practical use of the bus lanes would be to allow traffic to use them when rush hour is over, between 10am-4pm and after 7pm. It would ease the unnecessary traffic congestion in the city between those times.
There’s a 24 hour bus lane on the way back from the airport where you rarely see a bus using it and never at nighttime.
@Heywood Jablome: It used to be like that but almost all are 7am -7pm all week with some even 24 hr bus lane. All it does is make traffic congestion worse and there is usually an infrequent bus service running along the bus lane.
That P(r::I c&k Eamon Ryan is hell bent on getting us to use public transport. It kills me having to use it as there are some people that still light up cigarette’s and vaping on the busses. No thank you!
@Brian k.: Nobody smokes on buses, you’d know if you ever used one but you’ll just absolutely use idiotic arguments not to, obviously
@Brian k.: Typical comment from a turd who never took a bus in his life isn’t it? Brian the BELLEND.
@Brian k.: obeying the rules of the road has nothing got to do with eamon ryan. Thats your responsibility
@Brian k.: and you’re talking absolute BS with regards people vaping and smoking on the bus. No fee paying passenger would put up with that
Good. Can’t stand those a*s*o*l*s who tear up along the bus lane only to aggressively cut in in front of people obeying the law. It’s the same bunch of ****s who fly through red lights endangering the lives of pedestrians with zero tosses given. If everyone obeyed the rules and the laws of the road there’d be very few problems so quit moaning
@Art Vandelay: exactly, if you’re not a tosser who undertakes in the bus lane, it shouldn’t bother you, in fact you should be happy that these self important oxygen thieves are going to be caught.
@Art Vandelay: many people from Dublin north line to drive like that. Just look at the quays. It’s often arabs or welfare people.
Why is it that every proposal the greens come up with it involves fleecing people for more money? More Speed Cameras while lowering the speed limit, doubling fines, congestion charges, removing subsidy on electric vehicles, highest electricity prices in Europe, a gas storage tanker ship but consumer pays. They only believe in tax not incentivising people.
You will sit in traffic like everyone else.
@Thesaltyurchin: you are not sitting in traffic.
You are traffic.
@Ciaran Foster: ‘this is the way’
The amount of homeless people and this Muppet wants to spend €27 million on camera’s for bus lanes and probably expect the Garda to police it taking up more if their time and needless court case’s..
@Will Q: heyup galaxy-brain. The point of cameras is to free the Garda up from having to stop ignorant drivers from abusing bus lanes. Try keep up!
@Will Q: do they normally use the transport budget to cater for homeless people?
@Will Q: Where were you 10 years ago with the homeless??? You would swear Ireland is the only country with a homeless crisis. People can lecture others regarding homeless yet the very same people walk past them on the street not giving two fxxks about them. If a referendum came around now and said we must open our homes to help the homeless I guarantee you it would be a landslide no. But we are quick to say what we think on social media, in the real world no one seems to give a dam.
Ah ah! Cyclists beware!
“Disimproved” ?? Does he mean “deteriorated” or “worsened” ! :-( :-(
Are taxis permitted to go straight ahead when in a lane for left hand turn ?
@Foxy: Nobody is.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: if nobody ever stops you then it’s permitted?
@Foxy: If your asking that question then it’s best advised to look at the sign in question or that proves to difficult maybe the theory test book.
Happy Xmas ;)
It’s unclear from the article if it’s car drivers or legitimate bus lane drivers that are the issue. Both I presume?
That’s a pain! All those ass wipes will be adding to congestion for everyone else now….
I’m a taxi driver, so I’m not going to leave a comment here. No even to say
“No Comment “
@Thom Thumb: Taxis, the worst drivers you can find in Dublin.
@Thom Thumb: That’s a first, a taxi driver with ‘nothing to say’!
@Thom Thumb: Sorry but to say won’t leave a comment when you just did lol
I think you meant you have no opinion and so won’t give one lol
@BanIslam.:
Not just in Dublin, it’s rampant countrywide.
The M4 bus lane at Liffey Valley going onto North M50 is a disgrace. Lots of drivers ignore the bus lane and cause mayhem In the morning and evening rush hour. Never see enforcement by gardai. They should hang there head in shame and enforce and prosecute illegal users of bus lanes.
@Adrian Aungier: Agree with you 100% Adrian. The amount of private cars that impede cars legitimately making left turns is actually criminal. One of the worst is at Whitehall Church at the Swords/Collins junction. Then whilst you are trying to get into the left filter to turn on to Collins the busses are heading on down Swords and impede your progress down Collins.
Maybe they should allow drivers access to the cameras as to work out how heavy the trafic is and alter the route after all its road tax moneys ???? Why not
Will it also be used for cyclists. 2 penalty points for cycling on a footpath.
@Shane O Mac: On what licence would you implement these points?
@Storm Chaser: All cyclists need insurance and to be registered to a bike licence, etc. so many accidents cause by cyclists, if they are using the roads, pay up
It’s getting to the stage where there will be no point in driving a car here. You can’t drive faster than a cyclist and keep getting stopped by terrible traffic light management. You’re driving around with a target on you for revenue generation thru silly speeding fines on roads with nonsense speed limits decided by cycling advocacy groups. The greens want to bully people into abandoning their cars and take up cycling instead. Most pedestrians hit by vehicles have crossed the road recklessly with 70% under the influence of alcohol when hit. This constant reduce speed limits fixation from the Government is like a national mania. They are creating roads full of skill-less drivers. Most slow drivers are just people who can’t drive or are engaged in distracted driving.
The greens need to go.
@Darren Rowan: to be fair, find me a single city centre where driving a car is quicker than cycling. Cars simply aren’t space efficient enough to be transporting tens of thousands in an urban environment, and no amount of traffic management is going to solve they (except killing our city centres). It’s a shame, but the reality is if you want the comfort of your car in a city, you’ll just need to accept that it’s going to take you longer than cycling or taking public transport.
When you consider the dart could be running every 5 minutes, and how many a single dart train can carry, it’s madness how infrequently they actually run to facilitate the transport of a (comparatively) small number of people along exactly the same route in cars. This is a step in the right direction.
Should put cameras on M4 during rush time, drivers using hard shoulder as normal road.
Dave Hammond proving in this comments section too that he has no idea of what he is talking about. So many of the mouthpieces suffer from delusions of being intelligent.
Nothing in the article suggests anything about misuse of the bus lane. They should implement bus lane camera similar to the cameras they have in Belfast city, it defiantly stopped drivers using the bus lanes to jump traffic.
The amount of times I see cars drive up bus lanes to skip traffic in Dublin City is crazy.
Do people smoke on buses ?
Wondering how smokers on intercity long trips manage nowadays ?
@Sean Mc: They struggle!
have your say