Traffic corps to get road test

A SPECIALISED garda traffic corps is to be tried out on a pilot basis early next year, transport officials said yesterday.

The dedicated unit will be tested in the Dublin area and is expected to involve civilians in its operation.

Once evaluated, the Government will decide if it will set it up permanently on a national basis.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Transport said: “A working group made up of officials from the Department of Justice and the Department of Transport is looking at the issue and some progress is being made.

“We’ve agreed to try it on a trial basis early next year in the Dublin area.”

She said the working group was looking at a number of options, including to what extent civilians would be involved.

The idea might, in the long term, dovetail with a proposal by Justice Minister Michael McDowell for a reserve body, made up of civilians, to assist the force.

It is not yet known if the pilot will involve an existing garda traffic unit or if it will actually entail the creation of a new body.

However, the ministers have to operate within strict budgetary constraints and a Department of Finance embargo on any new public service jobs.

The Department of Transport responded yesterday to criticism from the Labour party over the Government’s failure to set up a traffic corps.

The party’s justice spokesman Joe Costello said: “The programme for government promised the traffic corps would come within six months of government. It seems the Government is putting traffic corps on the long finger.”

Mr Costello pointed out that the Government had already reneged upon the promised 2,000 extra gardaí, while at the same time burdening the force with the implementation of additional legislation.

The Garda Representative Association said the third penalty point offence, non-wearing of seat belts, which was introduced yesterday, would add to an existing backlog of 20,000 speeding detections which have yet to be processed.

The Association of Garda Sergeants & Inspectors (ASGI) yesterday said they were still in discussions with the Minister for Justice over their concerns about the system.

The AGSI has called on Mr McDowell to defer introducing any more penalty point offences until a comprehensive computer system was in place.

The long-awaited computer system is not expected to be installed until spring of next year.

Mr Brennan wants all 69 penalty point offences to be up and running by next summer.

The minister also hopes to put in place revised speed limits by next June, which will reduce speeds on some roads and increase speeds on motorways.

Mr Brennan is also due to phase in the coming months a scheme obliging motorcyclists on provisional licences to undergo ten training lessons before being allowed on the road.