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Dublin's Port Tunnel Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie

Groundbreaking new 'speed over distance' speed cameras for Port Tunnel

With the new system drivers will be clocked at both ends of the tunnel.

NEW SPEED CAMERAS are today being installed in Dublin’s Port Tunnel which will measure a driver’s average speed over a distance – the first time such a system has been used in Ireland.

As motorists enter the tunnel, their cars will be photographed.

A second photo will then be taken as they exit the tunnel and the time a driver takes to make it between the two points used to determine if they have committed a speeding violation.

This system – different from fixed speed cameras, which measure speed at one individual point – are shown to bring about a 50% reduction in the collision rate once in use, Transport Infrastructure Ireland has said.

The new system is coming at a time when major boosts in traffic have upped the chances of a crash happening in the tunnel.

Open since 2006, the Port Tunnel has seen a 40% boost in traffic levels in the past five years.

When drivers are caught speeding, their information will automatically be sent to An Garda Síochána to allow them to take further action.

“We welcome this enhancement to the operations of the Dublin Port Tunnel,” said Chief Superintendent Aidan Reid from the Garda National Traffic Bureau.

Due to an increase in traffic travelling through Dublin Port Tunnel this new enforcement system provides additional support toward maintaining a safe travel experience for all users of the Tunnel.

Similar systems that issue penalties and fines depending on a driver’s average speed are in place in parts of Europe including in the Netherlands, Poland, Austria and Italy.

A similar system in the United Kingdom of SPECS (Speed Check Services) cameras is currently in operation, and is generally found on motorways or dual carriageways.

The distances over which an average is taken vary in distance from less than a mile up to almost 100 miles. 

Drivers passing through the tunnel will have a picture of their car snapped in both lanes – meaning that switching between them will have no effect on how the system operates.

The system is  set to go live later this year.

Read: There are now over 350 new speed enforcement zones on Irish roads nationwide… *

Also: Gardai renewed contract for speed vans that ‘should be consigned to the dustbin’

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    Mute 8-Bit-Relic
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    Jun 5th 2020, 8:49 AM

    Gosh, close them and restart them once they are done… they were responsible for 153 of the cases last week. If that’s one of the main things preventing us from reopening get it done.

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    Mute Aidan O' Neill
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    Jun 5th 2020, 8:54 AM

    Absolute cop out answer by Harris also. He should be getting briefed on the situation and informing the House.

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    Mute frank_1916
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    Jun 5th 2020, 8:51 AM

    whoever owns the meat plants should know who’s working there and also where they live

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    Mute Aidan O' Neill
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    Jun 5th 2020, 8:53 AM

    @frank_1916: meat industry has a lot of Government connections, no sign of inspections or shut down. We’ve been averaging what 50ish a day for the last two weeks? So 100 per week in meat factories means about 2 out of every 7 cases is from one now. With lack of contact tracing this is clearly a significant factor for why the numbers aren’t lower.

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    Mute Eugene Comaskey
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    Jun 5th 2020, 9:38 AM

    @frank_1916: Meath Factory Owners are just that , they are not “keepers” , they cannot follow the workers home and see what they do and where they go . Isn’t the problem with the HSE and Dept of Ag, who have Dept Vets in there. Just like the Nursing Homes, HSE not really doing their job.

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Jun 5th 2020, 10:04 AM

    @frank_1916: anecdotally, the problem isn’t in the meat plants per se, it’s not possible for employers to police behaviour once people clock off and go home. It appears that correct precautions are in place in the plants, but the employers have no power outside of the workplace to ensure social distancing etc.

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    Mute Cormac
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    Jun 5th 2020, 11:36 AM

    @Eugene Comaskey: the vets are responsible for checking the animals for diseases. They have no responsibility towards the factory employees. It is either the HSA or the HSE that should be taking charge

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    Mute Sharp Elsi Mate
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    Jun 5th 2020, 9:48 AM

    The vast majority of these workers come from a particular community (in our local plants anyway) so contact tracing you would think would be a bit easier. I also think they have a mindset of even if I am bit under the weather I am going to work anyway.

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    Mute Mary Walshe
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    Jun 5th 2020, 1:22 PM

    @Sharp Elsi Mate:
    Probably because they cannot afford not to go to work, I’d say!

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    Mute Sharp Elsi Mate
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    Jun 5th 2020, 2:24 PM

    @Mary Walshe: Yes sadly most likely but is the system not supposed to allow you to get the PUP if you cannot go to work?

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    Mute Isabel Oliveira
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    Jun 5th 2020, 9:34 AM

    All workers contacts ( colleagues and families ) should be traced . Simply no excuse. 70%?is not good enough.

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    Mute George
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    Jun 5th 2020, 10:03 AM

    Big issue is Harris & HSE not using these sites to perfect their tracing procedures. We will have clusters and they will need immediate action. Country cannot shut down again

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    Mute Michael Mcloughlin
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    Jun 5th 2020, 11:04 AM

    Close them like they have the schools and shops and dont reopen them until all the workers comply with the testing .
    I know in the Midlands some of the partners of the people working in the meat Factorys are working in Nursing homes and working as care assistants so it needs to be sorted

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    Mute DK
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    Jun 5th 2020, 9:09 AM

    27 hospitalised out of 1,048 cases is less than 2.6 percent. I think this gives a good rough guide on serious cases rate for adults in 18 – 50 age range. Also no mention of any deaths but they haven’t said there hasn’t been any either so can’t assume that’s the case.

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    Mute Sean Reddin
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    Jun 5th 2020, 10:34 AM

    People / workers are secondary once there is money to be made even in a pandemic unfortunately.

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    Mute Vladimir Macro
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    Jun 5th 2020, 12:02 PM

    1800 peolpe now trained to work in contact monitoring.

    What are they doing?

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    Mute MickN
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    Jun 5th 2020, 12:23 PM

    Has anyone asked who gave the ok for the planeloads of Brazilians than flew in during the lockdown to go straight to work in the meat factories…?
    No….?
    Didn’t think so…

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    Mute Dolores English
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    Jun 5th 2020, 1:56 PM

    Shut the meat factories down, engage with the employees and help them instead of talking about these workers as if they didn’t matter

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