cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/35871824
Mayor Patrick Brown said he’s talked with the premier. Brampton has 185 photo radar cameras deployed.
The City of Brampton has spent millions of dollars going all-in on automated speed enforcement (ASE) technology and now Premier Doug Ford says his government might ban it.
On Tuesday (Sep. 9), Ford told reporters that he wants municipalities to voluntarily remove their ASE cameras — otherwise known as photo radar — or the province might ban them.
“It’s just a tax grab. They should take out those cameras — all of them,” Ford said. “Hopefully, the cities will get rid of them … or I’m going to help them get rid of them very shortly.”
Kralt told council that the cameras had reduced average driving speeds in six study areas by between 13 and 26 km/h, while increasing speed limit compliance by up to 85 per cent.
There are two petitions currently active for and against.
Link to petition posted on change.org, urging the city to keep the cameras. https://www.change.org/p/keep-the-speed-cameras-in-brampton
Link to petition posted on change.org, urging the city to remove the cameras. https://www.change.org/p/ditch-the-speed-cameras-petition-for-immediate-removal-in-brampton-ontario
These photo radars are being administrated by a third-party private business, whose taking home the lion’s share of the fine profits. “At no extra cost to the municipality”
wait so it works… people reduced speeds considerably, and compliance to the speed limit nearly doubled… why is he against it?
Because a private company takes the profits, not the people.
Doesn’t follow. Doug Ford LOVES when private companies get public resources. That’s his whole model, but genuinely. If he’s against cameras, it’s because this specific company didn’t take the shady deal he offered them, or they didn’t make him a shady enough offer.
sounds like a good justification to nationalize, not remove.
Because it aligns with his suburban voter base, and the city mayor in Brampton is his opposition I believe?
Doug is a fucking idiot, that much is clear to anyone who isn’t a fucking idiot.
My city has been aggressively installing these cameras too, and while I don’t love that the money is mostly going to private companies I think they have an impact on slowing people down. Here’s an easy way to avoid being ticketed - when you enter an area that’s got these cameras, set your cruise control to the speed limit.
I know that road design is the best way to calm traffic but I have very little optimism that we’ll see that anytime soon.
I was going down Huntclub in Ottawa at 4:30am to get my friend to the airport for a 6am flight. For a visual, it was down just west of Conroy. The road switches to a 60 zone from an 80kph one but nothing changes, not a damn thing, and I even thought “hey, I really don’t want a problem right now so I’m gunna do 79kph in this 80kph zone. Oh hey a speed camera, I wonder if people have been doing 100+kph down he-“ and then a flash. They want a $120 for that so I requested a trial.
The other one was in the Glebe. This road that is 5 cars wide without any paint is a 30kph zone, now, and so I’m going 45 in what I thought was a 40 zone and that we’re all good and boom, away we go with another one. The photo is comical because my little car is just a sea of asphalt and not exactly in a tight place. I paid that one anyway.
Ph, and the time I was doing 114kph in the leftmost lane on the highway coming back from the Brossard Ikea and got nailed there, too!
The speed cameras don’t actually do anything or keep anyone safe since the drivers are already exceeding the limit and the fines don’t in the mail come for two weeks. We need to stop pretending as if 60kph zones on roads built like 400 series highways are worth a damn and actually start building better.
I respect your experiences, but we have a lot of data that shows these cameras actually do save lives.
Sure, as the shittiest possible option. We also have a lot of data that shows if we genuinely gave a shit about people’s lives we wouldn’t be investing big wide roads. If the city of Ottawa wants to save lives it would expand public transit but when ridership is low they cut busses and routes because the concept of induced demand is something they refuse to pay attention to. The city elected a guy who claimed there was a “war on cars” because apparently his oppenent’s plan to install bike lanes was a bridge too far. They don’t give a rat’s ass about people’s safety and using that as a justification is insultingly hypocritical and/or ignorant of them.
I’m just getting very tired of every solution to the car problem being doing anything but actually addressing it in truly meaningful ways.
Don’t tell anyone but there is a sure fire way to beat these cameras and not pay any money. Not many people know about this but if you don’t speed, they can’t fine you.
Yeah but if people can’t do 60 in a 30 school-zone then they won’t get the next red light 15 seconds faster.
This is the thing I fail to ever hear drivers admit. Okay, going 5 km over the limit, in the grand scheme, isn’t a big deal, but then all the same, why go 5 over in the first place? What tangible benefit does going 5 over give anyone? Just goes to show how spoiled drivers are, how pained they are to let go of the gas pedal for 5 seconds.
Seriously, when these cameras first came out I was annoyed because I got dinged for going 57 in a 50 in a school zone, except it was noon on Easter Sunday and there’s was not a single person to be seen.
Even with that blatantly stupid application, I’m still not against them. If you are used to seeing them, you’re probably also used to seeing people roar up to the sign that announces them, jam on the brakes, and then speed up once they’re past the camera.
At least those jackasses are forced to slow down for a few hundred meters.
Thats not a stupid application. Schools shouldn’t have lower speeds only during school hours. The amenities the school provides such as greenspace and playgrounds means it attracts pedestrians and children regardless of time. Noon on easter sunday could mean time to walk the dog, go to a playground with cousins, or walk down the street returning from church or a restaurant.
Thats not a stupid application. Schools shouldn’t have lower speeds only during school hours.
They do in Australia
The amenities the school provides such as greenspace and playgrounds means it attracts pedestrians and children regardless of time.
That’s also ileagle in much of Australia, trespass AFAIK.
Yeah, I’ve been fined for speeding and it was my own stupid fault. People who go on about it being a tax on motorists are just whiny entitled arseholes.
Not like we tax motorists adequately anyway
I can’t help but think those millions could have been more effectively spent on chicanes or other traffic calming measures.
In my area they use the revenue from the cameras to fund those kinds of improvements.
That’s the ideal resolution, assuming they get removed or relocated once the infrastructure has been updated.
Unfortunately many municipalities will grow comfortable with the money brought in by these cameras and decide not to make improvements that would eliminate the revenue stream.
Vibe governance.
