Confidence growing that points and fines incurred at Glenmore will be revoked
The speed camera on the N25 near Glenmore. Photo: Summer Venn-Keane
“Never in my 22 years as a public representative have I encountered an issue that has energised people as much as this.”
These were the words of Wexford TD George Lawlor when speaking to this newspaper about the now infamous speed camera in Glenmore.
Thousands upon thousands of speeding fines have been issued since the installation of the camera on the N25 just outside Waterford city.
Compared to other identical cameras across the country, the number of fines issued at Glenmore is staggering.
It is understand that the camera has generated close to €5 million in revenue from fines.
The camera is located shortly after the speed limit transitions from 100kmh to 80kmh. Motorists say this doesn’t allow sufficient distance to safely and gradually reduce speed before reaching the camera.
Additional signage has now been erected by Kilkenny County Council approximately 400 yards from the camera, informing drivers that there is a speed limit reduction ahead.
Although welcomed, the new signage has prompted calls to quash any fines and penalty points incurred on motorists prior to its installation.
“The first move is to get rid of the fines and points, because people were traded grossly unfairly,” Deputy Lawlor told the Waterford News & Star.
“The erection of new signage was an admission that the previous signage was wholly inadequate. In my view, there is no legal leg to stand on. People should have their fines and points rescinded if they were travelling 100km per hour or under.
The Deputy added: “These cameras are essential, vital and necessary and play an important role in road safety, but we need fairness. What we must have is confidence in our road safety mechanisms. There's no use having a system there if people feel it is purely a revenue-raising tool.
“Do we put these cameras in place to catch people out, or to encourage people to reduce their speed to a safe level? It is the job of these cameras to get people to slow down, not to catch them like fish in a barrel through unfair methods."
Deputy Lawlor added that he is confident that fines and points will be revoked.
“I believe we stand a very, very good chance of seeing these points and fines rescinded. If it doesn’t happen, I think we need to take it further and take a strong legal stand on this,” he said.
In New Ross, Coghlan Kelly Solicitors are in the process of taking test cases to challenge the validity of speeding fines and penalty points.
“Some people have lost their licences, some people have got multiple fines, many people’s insurance has gone up,” Lawlor said.
"I’ve lost count of how many have raised this with me. It's thousands. So many people have told me they had unblemished licences, but this camera has now tarnished that and they feel very, very hard done by.”
Despite public outcry, reaction to date from some of the most senior politicians in the land has been varied.
Tánaiste Simon Harris and Deputy Lawlor have been embroiled in a back and forth over the issue on the floor of the Dáil.
Lawlor is adamant that the camera fiasco has been “grossly unfair” and “wholly unacceptable”.
Harris, however, is standing his ground, and is on record as saying that people should just slow down.
“I brought it up twice with the Tánaiste now and it was clear he didn’t understand or have any knowledge of the situation, despite the fact that I pre-warned his advisors that I would be bringing it up with him in the Dáil.
“He believed it was about people speeding and that’s it, but that is not the reality. There may be some people speeding, but I am representing only the people who have been unfairly fined.”
Last week, Lawlor raised the issue in the Dáil once again, this time before Justice Minister, Jim O’Callaghan.
The Minister appeared more receptive to the issue than Harris, and has made a commitment to having the issue investigated further by his Department.
He said that there are clearly “aberrations” between the number of fines issued at Glenmore when compared to similar cameras across the country.
He added that at present he doesn’t see a clear reason as to why this is, but said he has asked officials to review the issue further.
“Thankfully, it was a positive response from the Justice Minister. He admitted that at first glance the figures were very out of kilter,” Deputy Lawlor said.
