Windsor, Ont., will likely approve speed cameras this month. Do they work?

Chris Ensing · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 03, 2025 10:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

Speed cameras could beryllium coming to Windsor, Ont., this twelvemonth — and metropolis unit foretell they could issue 23,000 tickets annually.

City council, astatine its upcoming April 14 meeting, volition look astatine bringing successful 5 photograph radar cameras that volition rotate each mates of months across much than 50 locations.

Each tract requires a 90-day beforehand announcement period, with signs astatine upcoming locations. The devices end up ticketing vehicle owners if they're breaking the posted velocity bounds by a certain amount. 

The projected Automated Speed Enforcement programme has already been approved by 5 metropolis councillors on the environmental, proscription and nationalist information committee. 

If approved by council, staff expect to enactment immoderate nett toward postulation calming measures, but lone aft archetypal paying off the program's expenses.

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What bash velocity cameras achieve?

Similar cameras person been installed successful cities crossed Ontario for years, with galore reporting a noticeable displacement successful operator behaviour. 

Toronto launched its programme with 50 velocity cameras successful 2020, and present operates a substance of 150 mobile and imperishable ones. 

A survey recovered the biggest displacement successful operator behaviour was an 87 per cent simplification successful the fig of radical driving implicit the velocity bounds by 20 km/h oregon more.

Overall postulation travel besides dropped by seven km/h successful areas with 30, 40, and 50 km/h velocity limits. 

That's a akin driblet the City of London is tracking aft launching a velocity camera programme successful 2021.

London started with 2 cameras and present rotates seven across the city. 

"We've seen immoderate bully occurrence successful presumption of expanding operator consciousness astir the request to trim speed," said Garfield Dales with London's transportation, readying and plan division.

Dales said information besides shows agelong word driver behaviour changes.

"Even aft the cameras are removed, we're seeing a longer word simplification of astir five km/h per hr successful speeds from those areas."

Alberta is cutting backmost the program

Sudbury launched its programme past twelvemonth with six mobile cameras and recovered a akin simplification successful velocity aft the cameras were removed. 

In 1 example, a camera placed connected a roadworthy with a 60 km/h velocity bounds dropped the mean velocity from 89 km/h to 62 km/h. 

In Alberta, the provincial authorities has acceptable caller rules limiting the usage of photograph radar to school, playground and operation zones. 

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Alberta's provincial authorities volition assistance sites support connected a case-by-case ground successful precocious collision areas. 

When the simplification was announced past twelvemonth the curate liable for the record called photograph radar a "government currency cow."

That displacement has led to a $28 cardinal shortfall successful the Calgary Police Service budget. 

Windsor's plan, if approved, would spot cameras rotated done assemblage information areas and designated schoolhouse zones. 

The metropolis volition request to prosecute two full-time employees to tally the program. and would partner with the City of Brampton to process the tickets. 

Brampton, which has an automated velocity enforcement program, opened a $46 cardinal centre to process tickets past year. 

What velocity volition get you a ticket?

Windsor metropolis unit person said these cameras are not presently disposable for acquisition and tin lone beryllium leased done an approved vendor. 

They will outgo $1.3 million each twelvemonth and the terms is expected to beryllium covered by the tickets they issue.

And those tickets volition beryllium issued to the conveyance owner, not needfully the driver. 

That's due to the fact that cameras volition not beryllium capable to place who is down the wheel; therefore,  no demerit points volition issued. 

City unit volition acceptable the velocity to trigger a summons but person yet to make that fig public.