Five new Garda speed camera zones will come into operation in the Athlone area this Friday, May 27.
They include a section of the N6 bypass/M6 motorway on the Roscommon side of the bridge across the Shannon, out as far as Drum. This represents an extension of the speed camera zone which was already in operation on the bypass between Creggan and Clonbrusk.
A new speed enforcement zone will also be in operation between the two Moate junctions (6 and 7 ) on the M6 motorway.
The stretch of road from Grace Road/ Accommodation Road to Baylough will also feature the mobile units, and again from the Alkermes roundabout through Monksland and Bealnamulla as far as Cloonakilla National School.
Motorists on the Roscommon Road will also be on the lookout for new mobile cameras from Ganly’s Hardware to Kiltoom.
These new locations for safety cameras are just five of 355 new zones nationally, which were announced this week as part of a Garda crackdown on speeding. The addition of the new zones brings to 1,031 the number of speed camera zones nationwide.
According to An Garda Síochána, the primary purpose of the cameras, which are housed in clearly marked mobile units, is to “reduce speed-related collisions, lessen injuries, and save lives”.
Safety cameras only operate in areas where there is a history of speed-related collisions. Prior to the introduction of safety cameras, approximately 31 per cent of fatal collisions occurred in these zones. In 2015 this figure had reduced to 14 per cent.
All locations are listed on the Garda website, www.garda.ie