The city of Hamilton says it will turn on its automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras this week as part of a one-year pilot project in 12 community safety zones.
The photo radar program in school zones, passed by city council in January, will start issuing tickets to offenders on Oct. 1, 2020.
Twelve locations across the city have been targeted based on speed data from the city’s transportation operations. The city says these are areas where collisions have been “a problem.”
Two cameras will operate at each location over the course of the pilot project.
The initiative follows regulations adopted by the province in early December 2019 which opened the door for Hamilton to test out school zones as Ontario allowed the use of photo radar in municipalities for school and community safety zones, where limits are under 80 km/h.
Vehicles travelling in excess of the posted speed limits in enforced areas will see registered owners receiving tickets even if they are not the offending driver.
Drivers can also be fined, but demerit points will not be applied.
The ASE program is part of the city’s Vision Zero action plan to reduce speeds and overall injuries as a result of motor vehicle crashes.
“We believe this will increase driver awareness of posted speed limits and significantly decrease injuries and fatalities as a result of motor vehicle collisions,” Mayor Fred Eisenberger said in a release on Wednesday.
City staff have suggested the operating cost of just two mobile ASE camera systems would check in at about $2.45 million.
In January, the city’s transportation operations suggested two cameras would have to produce 25,000 tickets (violations) at $70 each combined in their lifetime to cover implementation, maintenance, education and administration.
The 12 areas chosen for the “automated speed enforcement” program are:
- Stone Church Road East from Dartnall Road to Pritchard Road
- Broker Drive from Brentwood Drive to Kingslea Drive
- Glancaster Road from Rymal Road to Twenty Road
- Trinity Church Road from Guyatt Road to Dickenson Road
- Second Street North from Charles Street to King Street West
- Greenhill Avenue from Quigley Road to Mount Albion Road
- Lawrence Road from Gage Avenue South to Ottawa Street South
- Lawrence Road from Cochrane Road to Mount Albion Road
- Harvest Road in Dundas from Tews Lane to Forest Avenue
- Bellagio Drive from Fletcher Road to Keystone Crescent
- Lewis Road from Barton Street East to Highway 8
- Main Street in Waterdown from Parkside Road to John Street
The mobile cameras are expected to move from place to place during the one-year pilot. Drivers will be notified of each movement 90 days before the cameras are in place.
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