Average speed safety cameras come into force on busy Limerick motorway
MOTORISTS travelling on the M7 motorway are being reminded that average speed safety cameras are now operational on a section of the motorway between Limerick and Nenagh.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland, the Roads Safety Authority and An Garda Síochána announced the installation of the system just over a year ago and it went live at 7am this Monday following testing during the pilot project.
The cameras which are mounted on highly-visible yellow poles have been deployed between Junction 26 (Nenagh West) and Junction 27 (Birdhill) covering both directions.
An identical system has been operational within the Dublin Tunnel since mid-2017 and it has been hugely successful in improving driver behaviour as regards speeding with the number of drivers exceeding the speed limit dropping from about 55% to just over 10%.
The system on the M7, which is now operational, is the first for any mainline motorway in Ireland and it's hoped it will reduce the number of serious accidents and incidents on the M7 between Nenagh and Limerick.
"The specific locations chosen have been subject to frequent weather-related/micro-climate events (mostly hail) resulting in increased collision frequency in the area," said a garda spokesperson.
From today, vehicles detected driving in excess of the 120km/h speed limit on the M7 will be subject to prosecution (€80 fine and 3 penalty points).