Flanked by signs with the speed limit and flashing lights,ÌýPremier Doug Ford announced that his government will introduce legislation in the coming weeks to ban speed cameras in Ontario at a press conference in Vaughan on Thursday.
Ford has been has been telegraphingÌýhis displeasure with automated speed enforcement for months, deriding it as a “cash grab” for municipalities.
“Enough is enough … if you really want to slow people down, speed cameras do not slow people down,” Ford said at the announcement — a move the StarÌýfirst to reported Tuesday. “If you don’t know where that speed camera is, you’re zipping by.”Ìý
Instead, the premier said the province will invest inÌýspeed bumps and roundaboutsÌýas an alternative to speed cameras.Ìý
“I will show you how to calm the traffic, instantly,” Ford said. “It’s not that [municipalities] don’t know how to do it, it’s that they don’t want to do it, because it’s a cash grab.”Ìý
Premier Doug Ford is joined by Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation, to provide remarks and hold a media availability.
Ford said that of Ontario’s 444 municipalities, only 37 had speed cameras, and it was time for those places to listen to residents and not ding people in the pocketbook in this tough economy. Several times he castigated those communities with speed cameras for collecting people’s money, but “not spending $1 dollar” of the funds on road safety.Ìý
He also repeated many times that speed cameras are not effective at slowing people down, however police, medical professionalsÌýand researchers say the cameras are proven, effective deterrents to fast and dangerous driving. A recent study from The Hospital for Sick Children found that speed cameras reduced speeding and aggressive driving by nearly half. TheÌýOntario Association of Chiefs of Police spoke out in favour of automated speed enforcement earlier this month.
The premier was joined at the Thursday press conference by the mayors of Kitchener, Barrie and Vaughan, who said they embrace replacing speed cameras with other traffic-calming measures.Ìý
The premier hadÌýpreviously lauded VaughanÌýwhen its city council decided to remove all of the city’s speed cameras.
At the Thursday announcement, the premier said the provincial government will create a new fund for municipalities to help them install measures to slow down traffic,Ìýincluding large, flashing signs in school zones as early as this fall.
The premier did not provide an estimate for how much the switch to other traffic-calming measures would cost the province, and said it was something that they were going to look at. They also did not specify where the funding was going to come from.
Signs to help speeders slow down were visible at Ford’s announcement in Vaughan that he will ban speed cameras.
Raju Mudhar/º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøStarThe planned move by the premier was met with anger from º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøcity councillors on Wednesday.Ìý
“We deserve to have protection,” Coun. Alejandra Bravo (Ward 9, Davenport) said. “Who’s got our back? Who’s got the backs of our children? It’s deplorable.”
“He’s threatening to remove one of the most effective tools we have to prevent dangerous driving,” said Coun. Shelley Carroll (Ward 17, Don Valley North).
“Doug Ford has decided to kill people in order to go and get a couple points in the polls. It’s just that simple,” said Coun. Gord Perks (Ward 4, Parkdale - High Park).
With files from Mahdis Habibinia
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