New Red Light Bandit Cameras on Cork junctions in trial for automatic fines - Cork Beo

If you are a regular driver on the roads around Cork City - you'll know just how many motorists are jumping red lights in what seems to have been a relatively recent phenomenon.

But the days of Red Light Bandits putting others at risk appear to be numbered, at least on our busiest roads, as a pilot programme has seen special cameras installed at some of Leeisde's busiest road junctions. And these camera will be using the latest Automatic Licence Plate Recognition (ANPR) tech to record cars breaking lights, which will then lead to an automatic fine in the post.

CorkBeo understands that the cameras have been installed in a number of locations around the city - including on the busy junction at the bottom of Barrack Street - which is due to see a lot more pedestrian traffic with the imminent opening of two new bridges linking the old Beamish & Crawford site to French's Quay and Crosses Green.

There are also cameras on the South Douglas Road close to the entrance to the Tramore Valley Park, where there have been safety concerns around the local schools and busy junctions.

CorkBeo has been told the technology is being quietly trialled ahead of the full operation within months. Issues such and information security and GDPR concerns - covering the collection and use of data and information on privately owned vehicles - are being ironed out.

As CorkBeo revealed at the start of this year, the cameras are being rolled out in Cork and Limerick following the success of a pilot programme in Dublin.

A pilot programme in Dublin - which saw cameras installed at the junction of Blackhall Place and the Red Luas Line in Dublin's north inner city - resulted in 813 motorists getting fines in just six months. Studies showed that after six months, the cameras had helped halve the number of collisions at the notorious accident blackspot.

The technology has been used worldwide for many years, in countries including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States and has been found to be very effective at modifying driver behaviour.

Under Irish law, breaking red light incurs three penalty points and an €80 fine - which will go up to €120 if not paid within 28 days. When the pilot scheme ran in 2015, there were no successful court appeals against prosecutions.

CorkBeo has contacted Cork City Council for details and will update this story as we get more.

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