Speed camera legal fight - The Munster Express

Speed camera legal fight The Munster Express

The static speed camera which was erected on the N25 near Glenmore in South Kilkenny last year could be subject to a legal challenge, according to a New Ross-based solicitor, who said there are four motorists who will be willing to fight their Fixed Charge Notices.

The N25 speed camera has been controversial since it was installed last year. The camera had an infamous start. After just 30 days 900 fines had to be rescinded due to human error in the processing.

After this public confidence in the camera was understandably low, and with rumours circulating that drivers continued to be penalised unfairly, local representatives were inundated with complaints about the new camera.

The campaign ‘Save lives on the N25’ garnered huge public support, as it highlighted that 84 people had died on that road in 20 years, with 12 of those fatalities happening in a 6 km stretch near Glenmore. It was widely agreed that something had to be done.

Public pressure brought about safety measures as that entire stretch was fitted with reflective studs, and a static speed camera was installed near Glenmore, forcing motorists to maintain 80 km/h on a patch of road that had long been 100 km/h.

Up until April, 2026, the N25 speed camera generated 30,599 fines since it’s ‘go live’ date in May 2025. If all these fines were paid the camera would have generated around €5 million in charges.

CSO figures show that the whole of Ireland generated 124,632 speeding fines in 2024.

From May, 2025 to April, 2026, the N25 camera has generated 25% of the amount that could be expected for all of Ireland in a year, based off 2024 figures.

In January 2026 there were 1,901 safety camera zones across Ireland.

Social media is brimming with cases of people from Waterford and the South East who claim to have received their first (and in some cases second) speeding fine of their lives from the N25 static speed camera. And now, these cases could fill the courts too as Coghlan Kelly Solicitors, based in New Ross, are taking on cases of those who wish to contest the Fixed Charge Notice (FCN).

The Munster Express caught up with Martin Lawlor, Managing Partner of Coghlan Kelly and Senior Vice-President of the Law Society, to discuss the situation. They currently have four clients willing to fight their FCN.

It was reported that Coghlan Kelly would represent clients seeking to challenge fines arising from the N25 speed camera. Shortly after this, new 80 km signs appeared on the road leading to and from the speed camera.

Fighting FCNs in the courts is risky, as the costs can increase if you are unsuccessful.

“The situation is we have four clients [at present] who, if they are summonsed, are going to fight these fixed charged notices,” explained Mr. Lawlor.

“But we have been overtaken. Kilkenny County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland have changed the signage. That’s a significant development. We maintain that it was misleading in the first place.

“Those fined fall into three categories,” he said. “There are those who paid the fine and took the points, those who have not yet paid and may not pay, and those who are determined to challenge this.”

Mr. Lawlor also said one of the interesting aspects of this case was the confessional tone of those involved. Usually, those caught speeding do not advertise the fact, but such is the sense of genuine grievance that these motorists have turned to announcing their fines online.

“We have a number of options open to us in that respect,” explained Mr. Lawlor. “We will be looking at the calibration, the signage, we have an engineers report.”

It was also explained that a speeding FCN may have been overturned in another court, and that speeding fines can be managed with the involvement of a third party.

“Everybody accepts speeding is wrong. It is right that this section be made an 80km zone, but the opportunity to reduce speed may not have been there,” Mr. Lawlor added.

Director of Services for Roads in Waterford Council, Gabriel Hynes, didn’t have much sympathy for those caught speeding when the matter was raised at a recent council meeting by Cllr. Niamh O’Donovan.

“I think speed limits are there for a reason and drivers have to be conscious of the speed limit and drive within that speed limit,” Mr. Hynes said.

“I don’t have any comfort to give to people who are caught speeding because it is a safety issue. People need to be aware of the speed limits and drive within those speed limits.”

Such was the clamour created by the speed camera’s fines that the matter reached national attention with multiple mentions in the Dáil. Although Tánaiste Simon Harris echoed the remarks of Waterford’s Director of Services.

In reply to TD George Lawlor from New Ross, the Tánaiste said: “I rarely disagree with the Deputy, and I do not mean to be argumentative, but that woman in Wexford received penalty points because she was speeding not because there was a lack of signage. Speed kills”.

“I encourage people to put up correct signage, but we are living through a road safety crisis. Static cameras are an effort to try to assist people. Nobody likes to get penalty points. If you obey the rules of the road, you will not get penalty points,” the Tánaiste added.

Although Deputy Lawlor didn’t have much luck when appealing to the Tánaiste, his parliamentary question seeking the exact number of fines did bring the situation to a head when it was revealed that a total of 30,599 fines had been issued for alleged speeding captured by the static camera on the N25 in its first year of operation.

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