Those with a lead foot may want to think twice before hitting the roads in the next few months. A proposal has been put forth to council to look at several photo radar sites, along with twelve red light cameras in the regional municipality of Durham.
“The cameras will work traditionally in the way that speed enforcement with officers works,” says Manager of Traffic Engineering and Operations, Steven Kemp.
The idea was put forward by the Regional Works committee last week. Another enforcement method they believe could help their Vision Zero initiative, keeping the region’s roads safe.
“We’re doing this because it will save lives and improve safety,” says Kemp.
A factor that many residents agree with, including father, Blair Capel.
“I’m a fan of photo radar. I believe the idea of slowing traffic down in order to keep our children safe is important.”
If approved by Durham Region council, drivers could soon see a total of 22 photo radar sites go up. These would be posted in school zones and community safety zones, as per provincial restrictions on where they can go. But there’s a catch — you might not know where they are from day to day.
“We’ll move them around on a scheduled basis to cover each school area on rotation,” says Kemp.
“That will keep you on your toes,” says Karli Pimm, a parent and teacher in the Durham region.
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Several locations are high traffic areas, like the corner of Stevenson and Rossland Road, where several schools are located. Officials say these areas have all been selected through data collection and complaints about speed in those particular zones.
But not everyone agrees. One resident who declined to give his name told Global News the new program is for one reason.
“It’s just a money grab.”
As of this month, there have been more than ten fatalities on the region’s roads in 2019. Kemp says although there will always be some criticism, statistics show potential speeders need to be stopped.
“Some drivers are travelling through these school areas are going 20-30 kilometres over the speed limit, which is unacceptable.”
Three automated speed enforcement cameras will be installed in school zones, with the other 19 being put in community safety zones for now. But Kemp says it’s their goal to keep enforcement to a minimum.
“We all need to do our part to make our roads a little bit safer,” says Kemp. “The ideal program is that no tickets are issued, we want to change driver behaviour.”
The initiative still has to be approved by the region next week. If it passes, you could see photo radar within the next few months.
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