Councillors to push for traffic cameras in Cork city to fine drivers for road violations 

Cork city councillors are to push for traffic cameras to catch people breaking laws, with the hope that this will improve congestion and public transport in the city.

At this week’s council meeting, a motion by Fine Gael’s Des Cahill was passed: “That Cork City Council pursues the necessary steps to install cameras at all major junctions in the city in order to fine those who block these vital junctions, resulting in long delays for both private cars and public transport.”

Paul Moynihan, director of services at the Operations Directorate told Mr Cahill in mid December: “At this time, road traffic legislation provides only An Garda Síochána can enforce moving traffic violations and traffic wardens may only enforce parking offences.

“Enforcement using CCTV is not legally permitted currently. Local authorities have no role in this regard and any change to this responsibility would require changes to national legislative, regulations etc.”

Labour Party councillor Peter Horgan, who chairs the Transport and Mobility SPC, told The Echo: “We got this response saying a change of legislation was need, then we saw in the paper just after Christmas that they’re getting these traffic cameras in Dublin.”

Automatic enforcement cameras which take pictures of registrations of drivers who fail to stop at a red light are to be introduced in Dublin city early this year, Dublin City Council revealed two weeks ago.

Mr Horgan said: “GDPR has morphed into this mutated blanket excuse — it used to be health and safety, now it’s GDPR, which is meant to protect people from having their data stolen, not to allow them to break the law.

“These cameras would at least put a bit of fear in people, because at the moment they know they’re won’t get a fine because there’s not enough gardaí around.”

He added: “The problem is, we don’t have enough gardaí in the Roads Policing Unit — that’s not down to any political party, it’s down to the Commissioner — so we need to do whatever we can to help them, and automatic enforcement would really help our frontline gardaí who do great work, even with their hands tied behind their backs due to a lack of resources.”

There was objection to the cameras at Monday night’s council meeting, with Independent councillor Kieran McCarthy telling The Echo: “Personally, I don’t agree with the idea at all, it’s too dystopian having someone constantly looking at people’s plates.”