For many years, our transportation policies and thinking tended to favour the
automobile, sometimes at the expense of pedestrians or cyclists. More recent thinking and policies have attempted to recalibrate the balance because of a pressing concern: safety. Automobile accidents kill too many Ontarians; and conflicts on local streets between autos and pedestrians or cyclists have resulted in too many injuries and fatalities.
With that reality in mind, Toronto City Council implemented its Vision Zero initiatives – especially measures aimed at reducing speed. An abundance of evidence shows speed kills; that pedestrians struck by cars travelling at lower speeds are more likely to survive the impact.
To enforce lower speed limits, city council has embraced the use of speed cameras. They are super effective in reducing speeds because they operate round the clock and are unforgiving in catching offenders. As a bonus, they generate tens of millions of dollars in revenue annually. But hyper-efficiency is not always welcomed – especially if the application seems arbitrary or unfair. Revenue generation may cloud one’s thinking while creating the perception that the city is more interested in raising money than improving safety. To avoid that perception and generate community acceptance of the proliferation of speed cameras, their implementation must appear to be fair and reasonable. If not, residents may rebel.
The most infamous example may be the speed camera along Parkside Drive, leading from Bloor West to the Lakeshore. Someone or some group is so opposed to this installation that the camera has been vandalized, cut down, tossed into a swamp – a reported six times. The last chop-down occurred even though the city installed a camera to watch the camera – and, we imagine, spy on any apparent vandal. Staff will no doubt report on what the spy camera recorded. But something is definitely not right here. I encourage Ward 21 neighborhoods to identify areas needing speed bumps and other traffic calming measures to ensure safety in Scarborough City Centre. One camera on Pharmacy north of Eglinton was vandalized a couple of times. Its relocation seems to have been met with greater acceptance. My aim is not to harass and frustrate drivers to the point where they want to damage and vandalize speed cameras. The goal is safety for all road users.
As such, it may be wise to tweak how the camera system is designed and delivered. For example:
- Post large and bright signs alerting road users where the cameras are located. The goal is to encourage compliance, not generate revenue.
- Reduce the multiple charges on the same vehicle in a short time (same day).
- Allow some leeway – like 4 km per hour over the posted limit – before ticketing.
- Set reasonable speed limits. 40 km/h is not reasonable for six lanes of traffic on Avenue Road, south of St Clair, forcing drivers to almost stand on the brakes to counter the steep incline.
Such minor and reasonable adjustments will increase acceptance, maintain compliance and improve the safety of all road users.
