Skip to main content

Dublin Tunnel gets average speed enforcement

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is working with the4 Irish police force, An Garda Síochána, on the installation of Ireland’s first average speed camera enforcement system, which will be deployed in the Dublin Port Tunnel. Opened in 2006, the 4.5 km tunnel forms part of the M50 C-Ring road around Dublin City. Traffic levels through the tunnel have increased by 40 per cent over the last five years and as a result there is statistically, an increase in the potential for collisions and accidents.
June 13, 2016 Read time: 3 mins
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is working with the4 Irish police force, An Garda Síochána, on the installation of Ireland’s first average speed camera enforcement system, which will be deployed in the Dublin Port Tunnel.

Opened in 2006, the 4.5 km tunnel forms part of the M50 C-Ring road around Dublin City.  Traffic levels through the tunnel have increased by 40 per cent over the last five years and as a result there is statistically, an increase in the potential for collisions and accidents.  

Average speed camera enforcement systems look to mitigate this potential because statistics show that there is typically a 50 per cent reduction in the collision rate once in operation.

The average speed camera enforcement system monitors a driver’s average speed while driving through the Dublin Port Tunnel and if a driver is above the 80 km/h speed limit the driver will be in violation and enforcement penalties will apply.

When the average speed camera enforcement system determines that a vehicle has exceeded the speed limit, it will automatically create a record of the violation which will then be transmitted to An Garda Síochána for their action. The enforcement procedure will mirror the existing procedures  developed by An Garda Síochána for automated processing of Road Traffic Offences that incur fixed charges and if applicable penalty points.

Large yellow poles will support the average speed camera enforcement system and testing will commence once the cameras are mounted. Upon completion of system testing it is anticipated that the system will go live later this year.

Average speed is recorded between two camera positions covering all lanes therefore switching lanes will have no effect on average speed monitoring.  The system will not have flashing lights or other operational indications, but it will be monitoring at all times.

Chief Superintendent Aidan Reid, Garda National Traffic Bureau said, “We welcome this enhancement to the operations of the Dublin Port Tunnel.  Due to an increase in traffic travelling through Dublin Port Tunnel this new enforcement system provides additional support toward maintaining a safe travel experience for all users of the Tunnel.”

“An average speed camera enforcement system will assist in maintaining the Dublin Port Tunnel’s strong safety record, said RII CEO Michael Nolan. “ TII is grateful to An Garda Síochána for supporting us with this operational improvement.”

Related Content

  • October 26, 2017
    Section speed enforcements gains global converts
    As the benefits of section speed enforcement are becoming clearer, the technology is gaining converts worldwide. Colin Sowman reports. America’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is calling for urgent action from both road authorities and the federal government to combat speeding which has been identified as one of the most common factors in motor vehicle crashes in the United States. This new call follows the publication of a safety study which found that between 2005 through 2014, 31% of all
  • July 24, 2017
    Traffex snapshot reveals enforcement advances
    An indication of just how far beyond spot speed and red light the enforcement sector has progressed was evident in the range of new and improved equipment on display at the recent Traffex event in Birmingham. One of the key trends, particularly in the UK but also evident elsewhere, is the increase in average speed enforcement, according to RedSpeed’s managing director Robert Ryan, who predicts a big increase in installations this year. “The price point has reached a level authorities can afford,” he says, a
  • May 17, 2016
    TISPOL launching Project EDWARD
    TISPOL and An Garda Síochána will launch Project EDWARD at next week's road policing conference in Dublin. The first European Day Without a Road Death (Project EDWARD) has been set for Wednesday 21 September 2016 and participation is expected from all 30 TISPOL member countries. Project EDWARD has been created to assist in re-energising the reduction of fatalities and serious injuries on Europe’s roads. TISPOL is calling on representatives of national governments, private organisations, public agencie
  • February 2, 2012
    Making the case for ALPR in enforcement
    Federal Signal's Brian Shockley uses examples from around the world to make the case for the greater use of automatic license plate recognition technology in the US. It is time, he says, to consider the possibilities of a national network and the use of average speed enforcement