Daughter of cyclist killed on road welcomes camera plan

The daughter of a man killed while crossing the road has welcomed an upcoming Government strategy on traffic cameras to detect dangerous driving.

Eugene Maher died in June 2015 after he was struck by an uninsured driver while he was cycling across a pedestrian crossing in Fairview in Dublin.

"His dinner was still warm on the table when my mam got the phone call to say 'make your way to Beaumont Hospital, your husband has been knocked down'.

"He was crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing with the green light at 6.30pm in rush hour traffic on a bright summer's day.

Christopher Coleman from Reuben Street in Dublin pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Mr Maher, with the court hearing that Coleman was driving well above the speed limit in the bus lane along the Clontarf Road with a group of friends at the time.

This month, the Department of Transport is expected to publish a national safety camera strategy.

The strategy "will provide the framework for increased deployment of cameras across the network, in both urban and rural locations, to assist with the enforcement of a wide range of road traffic offences", a department spokesperson said.

"The strategy will focus on speeding, red light running and bus lane infringements, with flexibility for the enforcement of other types of offence in future," the spokesperson added.

Ms Maher said the potential for fines and penalties will hopefully make people think twice before breaking a light.

She said: "When you have somebody who's reckless and decided to break the light or take the risk, that moment becomes a moment you can never take back.

"Deterrents are very meaningful, with more cars on the road, more people taking risks, we need to lean into that and give people a reason not to do it."
The reason given by drivers who break lights is often "time management", said Michael Gormley, assistant professor in Trinity College Dublin's School of Psychology.

"It's usually got to do with levels of frustration, sitting behind a red light or coming up to light that is about to change and they don't want to sit at that red light where they'd probably have to wait for a few minutes," he said.

The best way to stop the behaviour is to link it to a negative, he said.

Mr Gormley said: "At the simplest level, if someone participates in breaking a red light, you give them a penalty point.

"That negative stimulus will change that behaviour and reduce its frequency.

The less we see other people doing it, the less likely we are to do it ourselves.

"It will also change people's opinion about it.

"People will think more negatively about it."
To be effective, the strategy must be clear in how the cameras will operate and not be designed to catch drivers without proper warning, he said.

"It's very important that it's not about revenue generation but it's more about changing the behaviour through a penalty point system," he added.