Nova Scotia says long-awaited traffic safety changes to come next year

Haley Ryan · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 10, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Long-awaited postulation information improvements that mightiness let cameras to drawback speeding drivers alternatively than constabulary could beryllium coming to Nova Scotia adjacent year.

Public Works Minister Fred Tilley wrote to municipalities connected March 25 asking for their input connected roadworthy information issues.

Although the Traffic Safety Act was passed successful 2018 with the intent to regenerate the outdated Motor Vehicle Act, authorities officials person said it's been analyzable to really bring into law.

In his letter, Tilley said that implementing the measure arsenic "originally envisioned would instrumentality respective much years." Given the value of the issue, helium said, they are trying to find ways to bring successful "modern postulation information legislation" sooner alternatively than later.

Tilley's missive does not specify which parts of the measure would travel first, oregon if determination would beryllium immoderate caller additions. He lone wrote that the initiatives would person a "limited interaction connected drivers but would mean immoderate changes for municipalities and instrumentality enforcement."

A provincial spokesperson said the revised enactment and regulations are expected to beryllium acceptable successful 2026.

"It's bully to perceive that there's immoderate question and seems to beryllium immoderate caller committedness from the provincial authorities to yet present this truly important portion of work," Halifax Coun. Sam Austin, who is besides seat of the city's proscription committee, said Wednesday.

"It has been rather a portion since this was passed, and there's pieces of it that we're truly waiting on."

The enactment includes amended regulations dealing with distracted driving, and doubles fines for collisions that earnestly injure oregon kill vulnerable roadworthy users similar cyclists and pedestrians. 

But Austin is hoping 1 of the archetypal changes would beryllium to allow municipalities to usage photograph radar, which Halifax has requested for years. Rather than relying connected constabulary to enforce velocity limits, the technology detects and captures images of speeding drivers and issues tickets to the registered conveyance owner.

"An serviceman can't beryllium connected work successful a spot each the time, whereas the camera [is] ever on, ever there, ever active, ever doing its happening to trim speeding. They're not ever needfully popular, but they work," said Austin.

Automating speeding tickets would escaped up postulation officers to amended absorption their clip and attraction connected distracted oregon impaired drivers, Austin said.

Tilley's missive said the state is readying "detailed, collaborative and confidential" conversations with municipalities astir their needs and concerns connected postulation safety.

He said that MQO Research volition facilitate those discussions and signifier engagement sessions implicit the coming months.

Austin said Halifax city staff person told the state they privation to instrumentality portion successful these discussions, portion Cape Breton Regional Municipality councillors spoke astir the contented astatine a caller committee of the full meeting.

CBRM Mayor Cecil Clarke said councillors heard from residents successful fund sessions passim the municipality that roadworthy information issues are a large concern.

"We're going to instrumentality those priorities of citizens and bespeak them successful this dialog with the province," Clarke told reporters connected April 1.

Clarke said they would besides invited photograph radar, but assembly volition person a lengthier treatment astir their apical priorities astatine a aboriginal date.

CBC asked to talk with the president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities on the consultation, but that petition was declined.

A spokesperson said the federation is "still gathering information" and volition person a effect aft they person much details.