“With the Province’s decision to end municipal ASE programs, all 185 cameras across Brampton were shut down on November 14”, says Councillor Rowena Santos. “This wasn’t a City decision, yet the impacts are very real for our neighbourhoods.”
Before the camera removals the average is 30,079 vehicles traveling faster than the 11 km/h threshold above the speed limit (for example, in a 50 zone, they were traveling 61 km/h or more). And in the two weeks after the camera removals, it has jumped to 56,902 on average. That’s a 90% increase!
Santos goes on to explain that most of the former ASE sites now have no traffic calming at all, with the sudden ban of the speed cameras.
City staff reviewed all former ASE sites and found that 151 locations now have no safety measures at all. For many of these streets, ASE was the only tool slowing vehicles down. Replacing cameras with physical traffic calming like speed cushions or chicanes is not straightforward. Some roads can handle cushions, some need major reconstruction, and others cannot safely accommodate physical measures at all.
In the meanwhile, the province is requiring municipalities install “oversized” school zone signs in former ASE locations. Though this is proving difficult for many municipalities since the signs can potentially block sight lines, sidewalks, and might not work on available posts.
Although speed enforcement is no longer permitted, Brampton is not stepping backward on safety. The existing camera network can still collect valuable speed and traffic data, and staff are exploring:
- red-light camera enforcement
- vehicle noise detection
- ALPR capabilities
- real-time data sharing with Peel Regional Police
Basic speeding fines remain unchanged for decades and have lost all deterrent value. Those who might have moderated their speed with safety cameras now have a permission slip from Doug Ford to speed. Speed bumps don’t work in many circumstances while large signs won’t either. It’s the ‘Wild West’ as drivers who think speed limits are advisory only now own the roads.
It is unbelievable that this IDIOT PREMIER takes solace in the fact that he allows irrational and irresponsible people, like his own ministers, who got the tickets, to sway his thinking, instead of having the backbone to stand up for all the innocent people that are being killed by these speeders. The revenue from the speeders could go to repairing the terrible roads in ONTARIO.