The only fixed speed camera on one of the State's busiest roads has been removed by vandals. The camera on the M1 is among at least three cameras which have been destroyed, according to gardaí.
The camera was on the southbound side of the M1 just north of Drogheda, Co Louth. The M1, our longest continuous motorway, runs from Whitehall, Dublin, to just south of Dundalk, Co Louth.
A Garda spokeswoman said the camera had been "pulled from the ground". She also confirmed that a camera on the Dublin-bound lane of the N3 outside Navan, Co Meath, had been "set on fire", while a fixed unit on the old N1, now the R132, in the southbound lane north of Drogheda had been "hit by a lorry which kept going".
Each of the cameras has been vandalised and are inoperable, the spokeswoman added. The two cameras in Co Louth were removed in their entirety, including the poll and box.
Gardaí could not say exactly how long the cameras have been out of action but The Irish Times understands the three have been damaged for a number of months.
The State's network of speed cameras comprises only 20 units in Louth, Meath, Kildare and Dublin. They were installed by the National Roads Authority in 1999 as part of a pilot project. It's known that only three cameras, which are placed in the camera box, are in operation in the State at any given time.
The Department of Transport plans to expand the network and may outsource their operation to private companies.
The NRA said the responsibility for the upkeep of the fixed cameras units was handed over the the Garda three years ago. The Garda spokeswoman confirmed the force had "assumed responsibility for the replacement of and repair to such cameras." On the three locations in question she said: "Quotations are under consideration by the Garda at this time."
In Britain earlier this month, vandals used a blowtorch to destroy a speed camera erected a few hours earlier. Action group Motorists Against Detection, led by its self-styled leader "Captain Gatso", claimed responsibility.
Meanwhile, researchers in Britain recently said more evidence is needed to prove the effectiveness of cameras in reducing road deaths. Academics at the University of the West of England and the University of Bristol reviewed 14 studies in countries including Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
Their report, published in the British Medical Journal, said the studies showed road deaths were reduced in all cases, but by widely varying amounts.
Deaths were reported to have been cut by between 17 and 71 per cent at cameras sites, while collisions were reduced by between 5 and 69 per cent and injuries by between 12 and 65 per cent, according to the 14 studies.
Published research consistently shows the effectiveness of cameras in preventing collisions and injuries, the study said. "However, the evidence is relatively poor, and better data is needed."
