Why have so many CCTV cameras gone up in Portlaoise?

A raft of camera have been erected on some of Portlaoise's busiest roads accompanied traffic strips on the roads.

Cameras and traffic counting equipment is in place on the Stradbally Road, Dublin Road and Mountmellick Road and the Abbeyleix Roads which are the key arteries in and out of the town.

Equipment has also been installed on other busy routes including Main Street and the Ridge Road.

Boxes installed on the pavements beneath the cameras state that CCTV images are being monitored and recorded for the purposes of compilation of traffic for statistical purposes and not for speed enforcement.

Laois County Council said that these counters are gathering data on traffic numbers that will inform the preparation of the Portlaoise Local Transport Plan.

The boxes state that the scheme is controlled by IDASO Traffic Surveys Ltd. Contact information is provided however Laois Live / the Leinster Express received a bounce back stating the message wasn't delivered to info@idaso.com because the address couldn't be found or is unable to receive email. The company subsequently provided a separate email.

IDASO specialises in providing traffic, transport and mobility data for use in strategic planning, traffic impact assessments, property management and retail assessments, along with optimisation of existing transport management systems. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

The equipment does not reference Laois County Council.