Speed cameras could be in front of Waterloo schools by year’s end

Automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras could be in front of Waterloo Region schools by the end of the year.

A report is expected to be presented to Waterloo regional council sometime within the next couple of months that will seek approval for ASE cameras.

“Staff here at the region have been working with the Ontario Traffic Council steering committee on developing standards and looking at putting together a program that would be implemented consistently across the province,” Waterloo director of transportation Steve van De Keere told Global News.

The new rules under the Highway Traffic Act, which came into effect in December, allow the use of cameras to catch cars speeding and issue tickets to their owners on local roads with speeds of less than 80 km/h.

The photos can include the time and date of the picture, a description of the location where the picture was taken, the speed of the vehicle, an indicator to identify the vehicle involved and the posted speed limit on the road where the photo was taken. The vehicle’s licence plate will need to be clearly seen in an enlargement of the picture. Each photo will need to be certified by a provincial offences officer.

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Van De Keere says that even if council greenlights the project, it will take some time to get the ball rolling.

“We would need to put up advance warning signs at all the locations where it’s proposed to install the equipment,” he says, noting that the signs must be posted three months before the cameras come into use.

In addition, the region would also need to come to agreements with the municipalities and vendors as well as getting the vendor to install all of the equipment.

“So we’re hoping that late 2020 we will have the program in place,” Van De Keere explained.

Not every school across the region will have a camera posted in front of it, however.

“We’re still having discussions with the area municipalities about that,” Van De Keere said.

He figures the criteria could include things such as current speed compliance and collision history near a school, whether there are sidewalks and the number of kids walking to a school.

—With files from Global News’ Nick Westoll