Order Out Of Luas

at

903829509038294890382887

This morning.

The launch by Transport Minister Paschal Donohue of Ireland’s first ‘automated Red Light Camera System’ at the junction of Blackhall Place, Dublin on the Red Luas Line this afternoon,

Scene of many a  prang.

Motorists breaking the set of red lights pictured will automatically receive three penalty points on their licence.

They will be automatically wiped should you be the Garda Commissioner, newspaper editor, etc.

Sound reasoning or traffic fascism?

You must decide.

(Leah Farrell/Photocall Ireland)

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51 thoughts on “Order Out Of Luas

  1. Mick

    Could do with these in a lot of place around the country I suspect. One T junction close to where I live (Drogheda) is absolutely lethal for people breaking the lights . I expect it at this junction so know to be alert when crossing but I have seen some very close calls there.

    1. Spaghetti Hoop

      +N7 + N4 junctions of Dublin west. They are particularly wide ones, and both the motorists and cyclists underestimate the clearance time.

  2. Bejaziz

    I’m pretty sure that camera has been there for at least 2 years, did someone forget to plug it in

    1. Paps

      They should fine pedestrians who don’t cross at pedestrian crossings while they are at it.

        1. Talismania!

          Cyclists should be required to hire someone to walk in front of them and ring a bell announcing their imminent approach.

          1. 3stella

            … While also rolling out a cycle lane in the direction of their most convenience

  3. Odis

    Will you still get penalty points, if you can show the guards that you had good reason to go through on red?

    1. Parky Mark

      Yeah, you will. You don’t have reason to go through on red but I’d like to hear some of your excuses.

      1. Colin

        These have been placed and removed in many US States as they are crazily inaccurate. How many times have you entered a junction and the clown in front stops being a 12ft gap ahead of them? You are stuck, light goes red and fraction later they moved forward. Heavy commuter traffic, some hold up, same story. Snap and 3 points. I know you should only enter a junction if its clear to proceed but these cameras don’t take into accounts the vast majority of moron drivers that we share the road with.

          1. Colin

            The camera is ‘dumb’ It just sees you moving after the light goes red. So it doesn’t matter. Hence why a Garda on patrol the odd time is far more effective as at least you have some human input.

        1. Kieran NYC

          Oh yeah. The rules of the road shouldn’t apply to you, just to all the ‘moron drivers’.

        2. Someone

          You didn’t break the light, you just entered a junction without having a clear exit. Which is another item of stupidity amongst many drivers.

          1. ffintii

            I suspect this new traffic light protocol/legislation along with the camera for the Luas has been has been designed by Law Library students to generate new income streams.

  4. Clampers Outside!

    Put fifty of them on Bridgestreet Upper/Wormwood/Cook Street !

    Either that or I’m going to flip out in that yellow box someday, mark my words, I’ll be caught lifting some driver out of his comfy seat for running the white stop line, running the red light and still continuing into the yellow box and with no exit available…… ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGHHH !

  5. thedinger

    At the end of the Irish version “From here to maternity” or whatever pun name they have. There’s footage in the official ending with the end credits of a car going through the red lights at the Holles street, merrion square junction. This person needs to be brought to justice. Unless of course, there’s an impending delivery in that car. Then as you were…

  6. Ros

    Live near Holles street and 2 months ago emailed all the local councillors about the number of cars breaking red lights at the junction of Holles and Merrion Sq. They replied and brought it up with the council traffic department saying they were trialling red light cameras and would investigate placing one at the junction.

  7. Liam from Lixnaw

    “Scene of many a prang.”

    How many are we talking about, over how long of a time period for what volume of traffic? I am trying to get a baseline for how they will decide when they install one.

    1. smoothlikemurphys

      “How many are we talking about, over how long of a time period for what volume of traffic?”

      Who are you asking?

  8. medieval knievel

    will there be a second camera to take the footage of people crashing into this one?

    1. Skeptik

      Yup, but the law was never changed so penalty points could be given out. All the driver got was a sternly written letter.

  9. Mark Dennehy

    https://twitter.com/tupp_ed has a few interesting questions about this today (and if you’re not following him already btw, you’re missing out):

    Automatic number plate reading linked directly to police record system. A bit more questioning of the exact data storage design is in order

    For example, are the cameras recording all the number plates passing? Are they performing lookups of the No. plates of them all?

    Are the cameras linked to the Dublin City Council traffic light system? If not, how would they know when the light is red?

    If they are recording and storing the data of all drivers going to and from the Law Society, for how long is it stored?

    What reason for storing the record of people’s physically passing this junction if they do not break a red light? Is this proportionate?

    These are significant Qs in the light of the EU rights to data protection and privacy that apply to all law and administrative actions here.

    And then he started asking the Gardai…

    Hi @GardaTraffic ! Some Qs re new camera at Luas junction at Blackhall place?Are the cameras recording all the number plates passing?
    Also @GardaTraffic Are the cameras performing lookups of the No. plates of all the traffic?
    . @GardaTraffic Are the cameras linked to the Dublin City Council traffic light system? If not, how would they know when the light is red?
    .@GardaTraffic If they are recording and storing the data of all drivers going to and from the Law Society there, for how long is it stored?
    .@gardaTraffic speed cameras measure velocity which can be legal or not, but legality is the same all the time on a given piece of road.
    .@gardaTraffic Here the same movement/actions will be legal/illegal depending on traffic light colour. How does the camera know the colour?
    Sorry about all the questions @GardaTraffic but a camera linked directly to pulse is fierce interesting.

    1. Colin

      Except he has no idea what he is talking about. The pictures are sent, in the same manner as GoSafe, and processed for issuing fines by An Garda in Templemore. Its not constantly recording. Its linked to the Traffic system onsite and is on when the lights are red (And a time frame either side of it) There is no data retention. And either way, its a public place and your license plate is public and must be clearly displayed. No reasonable expectation of privacy.

      1. Mark Dennehy

        Just before you say he has no idea what he’s talking about, take a quick google and see what his job is and what he’s done in the last year or two.

        I’d be comfortable enough saying he knew what he was talking about when it comes to data privacy…

  10. Talismania!

    If it’s a company car, will you get penalty points? Seems like this always kills these schemes.

    1. Zarathustra

      PathCAL is a series of online interactive tutorials which cover a wide range of pathology subjects. It is designed to help students (Dental, Medical and Veterinary) understand the basic pathological principles of disease. It is currently offered to MBChB students in the University of Edinburgh and available for other UK institutions to subscribe to.

      Or, was your asinine contribution because he has a lisp?

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