The installation of traffic cameras at junctions in Dublin city to catch motorists who break red lights has been shelved, National Transport Authority (NTA) correspondence shows.

The road safety measure, due to begin in 2025 and long in use internationally, proved successful when deployed for a six-month trial at the junction of Blackhall Place and the Luas Red Line in Dublin’s north inner city a decade ago.

Red-light running has since become “increasing problem” that was “putting people’s lives at risk” throughout the city, Dublin City Council head of traffic Brendan O’Brien said.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland was in 2024 asked to formulate a national camera-based enforcement strategy focused on red light and bus lane violations as well as speeding.

Last March Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien, in an answer to a parliamentary question, told the Oireachtas he expected the draft strategy “would be prepared for public consultation in the coming months”.

Pending the finalisation of the national strategy, the Garda, NTA and Dublin City Council were collaborating on the deployment of cameras in Dublin city “with the intention that one or two locations will be operational this year as part of an interim arrangement”, he said.

The safety camera strategy was submitted to the Department of Transport last May, but has not been published.

Recent NTA correspondence shows that plans to install cameras in the city on an interim basis have now been shelved.

In response to a query from a member of the public last October, asking when the cameras would be introduced, NTA deputy chief executive Hugh Creegan said the Department of Transport was expected to “make a determination” on the “overall national strategy shortly”. Mr Creegan said: “It no longer appears appropriate to proceed with developing camera enforcement at a small number of locations in isolation”.

In the letter, released to The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information Act, Mr Creegan said tendering for equipment and services “for just one or two isolated junctions would not provide a system that would be scalable contractually to cover other junctions, other areas and other offence types”.

“In order to provide a system that can be scaled and operated appropriately, it is the NTA’s view that it is better to wait until there is an overall camera enforcement strategy in place,” he said.

“Accordingly, the NTA is awaiting the finalisation of the overall national camera enforcement strategy before proceeding with further camera installation development.”

However, red light cameras will come into operation at the Merrion Gates level crossings in south Dublin by the end of January. Cameras will also be deployed at six more level crossings nationally in the coming months.

Brendan O’Brien said the council was eager to see progress on the deployment of red-light cameras at junctions across the city.

“Stand at any junction and you’ll probably pick up red-light offenders. It’s an increasing problem,” he said.

He was particularly concerned about some larger junctions where drivers were breaking the lights at speed. “They are speeding on the way through pedestrian crossings and directly putting people’s lives at risk.”

The deployment of traffic cameras to prevent motorists driving in bus lanes would also be essential to the success of the BusConnects project, Mr O’Brien said, particularly for the 12 segregated core bus corridors, the first of which would be under construction in the new year.

“The entire of the BusConnects corridor project depends on bus lane enforcement and having automatic camera enforcement in place,” he said.

The Department of Transport said it would not provide a copy of the camera safety strategy because it was part of an ongoing deliberative process.