Dublin People - Residents vent fury over traffic camera

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Residents vent fury over traffic camera

Wednesday, 23 July 2008

CLONTARF residents have expressed major concern over a local authority’s plans to install a new traffic camera in their area.
The residents believe the camera could potentially be used to monitor their houses from the internet.
A new 18-metre high traffic camera has been proposed for the junction of Castle Avenue and the Howth Road.
Locals are furious that images from the camera, which are broadcast on a Dublin City Council traffic website, could be used to monitor private residences.
They fear that as well as being an eyesore, the camera could also be used as the perfect tool to help burglars learn the routines of people living in nearby houses.
Howth Road resident, John Sheridan, along with 120 other concerned locals, have signed a petition to have the plans scrapped and they have received support from a number of public representatives.
“A project like this doesn’t require planning permission so there is no input from the community,” John told Northside People.

“From our point of view as residents of the area, and many people here are fourth generation, it is just not suitable.
“We think it should be moved somewhere away from private residences, as most other similar cameras are.”
John also said the camera would be broadcasting images of their area live on the city council’s traffic website www.dublintraffic.com.
“Anyone with a bit of knowledge of the web can actually create a page that will update automatically, reloading the image and then set a programme to record these images,” he added.
“This would allow anyone who wanted to monitor private houses in the area a perfect opportunity to see what time residents came and went.
“Obviously this is not an ideal situation at all and as such we want the camera kept far away from all houses.”
Castle Avenue resident, Breda O’Rourke, has also spoken out and is calling for the community to be consulted on the matter.
“I object very strongly to the erection of the traffic camera at the Howth Road - Castle Avenue junction,” she told Northside People.
“It would lead to a gross invasion of our privacy, lower the value of our property and be an unsightly intrusion in our residential area.
“Would it not be more suitable to locate this camera on the triangle at the commercial centre on the junction of Howth Road and Collins Avenue where it would not be surrounded by private homes or could it not be erected on an existing pole?”
Clontarf ward councillor Bronwen Maher (GP) has tabled two questions to the Dublin City Manager calling for plans to be deferred.
"Residents are rightly outraged that the city council can erect massive traffic cameras in residential areas without any consultation whatsoever,” Cllr Maher said.
“There is also the issue of visual impact and suitability of such a large installation in a residential area and residents’ privacy.
"Traffic officials have informed me that there is a 15-minute delay on transmission of the website images and that if anything of a personal or sensitive nature were to occur at any of the screened households, it would be edited out.
“This is a clear invasion of people's rights to privacy and smacks of a big brother mentality.
“This has become a privacy and data protection issue which I am determined to pursue," added Cllr Maher.
Dublin City Council pointed out that this type of installation has been used at a number of sites throughout the city including the Malahide Road, Tonlegee Road and Clontarf Road.
Dublin City Manager John Tierney said the cameras were solely for the purpose of monitoring traffic flow,
“The images are not recorded,” he stated.
“They are used to allow incidents and accidents which will affect traffic flow to be speedily resolved. “They also allow for monitoring of bus progression through the network and determine if there are any enforcement issues which should be notified to the gardai.”
Mr Tierney said these images are shared with Garda Traffic Control and the Fire Brigade emergency dispatch centre who again only use these images for the sole purpose of traffic management and to ensure prompt response to accidents.
“As a service to the public, Dublin City Council makes still images available on their website from their traffic CCTV system,” he added.
“These images are updated periodically and are not live images.
“If there is concern about specific privacy issues then ‘privacy zones’ can be fitted to the cameras so that the image blanks if the camera is being used to look at any other area other than the road network.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Finian McGrath (Ind) has strongly condemned any attempt to erect the traffic camera.
“I have received hundreds of calls from local residents on this matter, as they feel that it is an intrusion on their privacy,” he said.
“I would urge the city council to think again.”

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