Trucks slip past Gatso cameras

THE FIXED speed cameras currently used by gardaí cannot tell the difference between a car and a truck, Motorshas learned.

This means that Gatso speed cameras on roads with a speed limit of 100km/h or higher cannot detect lorries or coaches breaking the large vehicle specific limit of 80km/h, once they stay within the road limit. This is because Gatso cameras have only one setting.

The Free Speed Survey (2006), carried out for the Road Safety Authority (RSA) found that 87 per cent of articulated lorries break the 80km/h vehicle-specific speed limit on national routes.

Gardaí have been aware of this issue for some time and have sought to concentrate the use of fixed Gatsos on roads such as the N4 as it enters Dublin where the speed limit is 80km/h.

However, there are at least four other locations on approach roads to the capital where fixed cameras are used on roads with a 100km/h limit.

Assistant Commissioner Eddie Rock, who is head of the Garda Traffic Corps, said the cameras in eight new Gatso vans due to become operational at the start of August would be able to distinguish between a car and a truck on the basis of measuring the vehicle's length.

He said the three existing Gatso units were unable to take more than one reading. Assistant Commissioner Rock said the Gatsos currently used by gardaí were "coming to the end of their life cycle" and the level of enforcement they were providing was lower than in previous years. More than 231,300 fixed charge notices have been issued by gardaí this year.

It was not possible to confirm last night whether the preferred bidder for the new privatised speed cameras would use cameras that can distinguish between cars and larger vehicles.

The limitations in the Gatso equipment emerged as gardaí last night launched a speed enforcement operation targeting lorries and buses.

Asked if there was any link between the relatively high incidence of lorries and coaches speeding in the Free Speeds Survey and the limitations of the fixed cameras, Noel Brett, head of the RSA said if "motorists believe the enforcement is not present or unable to detect them than obviously they may chose not to obey the limits".

"The model we use is the education enforcement model. We try to make sure every road user is aware of their behaviour."

Under operation Go Cúramach, gardaí will run six operations targeting speed limit compliance for goods vehicles and single deck buses. Under the Road Safety Strategy (2007-2012) gardaí have committed to increase the compliance of articulated vehicles on national roads from 13 per cent to 60 per cent or higher.