M7 speed cameras to go live in early 2022

The first prosecutions from the new average speed detection system installed on the M7 between Nenagh and Birdhill are expected in the first quarter of 2022.

The planned introduction of the system has been delayed by up to a year due to the need to calibrate and test the cameras, which were installed last March. Average speed detection systems note the time a vehicle passes first one and then a second point along a motorway. This allows the system to produce an average speed of travel.

For example, if Point A and Point B are set 120km apart, the vehicle can only legally cover that distance in one hour, travelling at the maximum speed of 120km per hour. If a motorist takes less than one hour to travel the distance, they would be liable for a fine and up to six penalty points.

According to an article in the Irish Times this week, the delay in activating the cameras is due to the need to calibrate and provide certification for the accuracy of the system. A spokesperson for Transport Infrastructure Ireland said the possibility of a legal challenge to the evidence of such equipment was always distinct and real, given the history of challenges to speed detection equipment in the past.

The Nenagh-Birdhill section of the M7 is a known speeding blackspot. In 2020, there were a total of 357 speeding detections made in the vicinity of this section.

TII said this type of driver behaviour was very dangerous, and was compounded during rain or hail showers, increasing the potential of serious accidents. Analysis of speed data on the M7 corridor since 2017 identified speeding as a significant issue with some 40% of drivers exceeding the 120km/h limit on certain sections.