A recent report from the City of Hamilton on the number of crashes on the Red Hill Valley Parkway (RHVP) is renewing a push for photo radar for that stretch of road.
The report says the RHVP had more than twice as many crashes as the companion road, the Lincoln Alexander Parkway, over the last five years, despite lower traffic volumes.
The report says many of the 668 crashes happened along two winding stretches of the roadway; between King Street East and Greenhill Avenue and Dartnall Road and Mud Street.
It also points out crashes are more common when it’s dark and when the ground is wet. The report goes on to say that speeding is the most frequent factor in fatal crashes.
Ward 4 Coun. Sam Merulla says “the city has done a number of studies on the Red Hill Valley Parkway that show the engineering of the roadway is fine, but the speed at which some drivers travel the area is not fine.”
He says some people believe they can travel at 140 km/h on a roadway that was intended for speeds of 90 km/h.
“If people slow down, vehicular collisions will be diminished. It’s really that simple,” Merulla said.
The councillor for Ward 4 says “photo radar would be a quick and 24-hour way to cut down on speeding, but the provincial photo radar legislation has not yet passed.”
The legislation would only allow photo radar on roads with a speed limit of 80 km/h or less and that’s part of the reason why Merulla says he’s put forward a motion to Hamilton city council to have the RHVP speed limit lowered to 80, so that it will qualify when the bill is given royal assent.