Hundreds of prosecutions before the court over Kilkenny speed camera
There is ongoing controversy over the static speed camera on the N25
Hundreds of people are due before Kilkenny District Court over the coming months for speeding offences related to the N25 static speed camera.
Earlier this month (October 13) 230 people were due before the local court accused of speeding at the location of the static speed camera at Glenmore in South Kilkenny.
Approximately 65 people were convicted and fines range from €275 to €375 along with five penalty points. A further 60 cases were dismissed and over 90 cases were adjourned to Kilkenny District Court on November 17.
The camera, which generated over €6million in fines between the start of its operation in May of last year until June of this month, has made headlines due to the much higher rate of fixed charge notices issued in relation to other cameras around the country.
The speed camera has been criticised with some road users claiming that not enough notice is given from the change from a 100km per hour limit to the 80 km limit where the camera is located.
Divisional Roads Policing Inspector Paul Donohoe told the Kilkenny People that the reduced speed limit and camera were introduced after a campaign to improve safety on the notorious stretch of road which has claimed the lives of 12 people in the past 20 years.
“It’s an 80 kilometre per hour zone and that is what the people of South Kilkenny and Glenmore and Slieverue pushed for. They wanted a speed reduction and a speed camera.
“There are people giving out about the signage, but the reality is there is a lot more signage for that speed camera than there is for the speed GATSO vans on the road,” he said adding that there has not been a death on the stretch of road since the camera went in.
Approximately 400 summons are being issued monthly to deal with drivers caught speeding by the camera and who fail to pay the fixed charge notice on time.