More than 70 new automated roadside speed cameras will be hitting our streets next year.
Plans are underway by the City to install 75 new automated speed cameras on Toronto roads next year despite a rash of vandalism to the devices.
A Vision Zero Road Safety Plan by Transportation Services is also proposing a reduction of speed limit on local roads to 30 miles an hour and narrower roadways to slow down vehicles. Staff are now identifying areas across the city where the new speed cameras can be installed.
The Vision Zero plan will be presented to an Infrastructure and Environment Committee and then City council for consideration.
It said vandalism is a concern and called for the new cameras to be installed on secure extended poles that will be make it harder to be tampered with. A few days ago one of the City’s most prolific camera on Parkside Drive was cut down by vandals.
The City will be installing the new cameras on poles to curb vandalism of the devices.
The plan said the devices will be installed using a data-driven approach that considers vehicle speed and collision history rather than evenly distributed between wards.
“This will provide an opportunity to target locations in the city with the most problematic vehicle speeds and provide the greatest safety benefit,” according to the report. A minimum of three of the cameras will be provided for each of the City’s 25 wards.
“It does require considerable time and resources to relocate the cameras, so initial location evaluation time is well-spent,” the report stated, adding that warning signs must be posted 90 days prior to their use.
A Toronto Police Vision Zero Enforcement Team targets aggressive, distracted, impaired driving and speeding. The team this year has issued some 42,929 tickets: consisting of 18,593 for speeding, 3,429 for aggressive driving, 3,934 for distracted driving and 16,973 tickets for other infractions.
The report recommends that the speed limit on local roads be decreased to 30 miles an hour and the creation of 20 new Community Safety Zones with speed cameras near schools to improve safety.
Also being considered are more traffic calming measures, mobile watch-your-speed signs, in-road flexible speed signs and the narrowing of roads to slow down traffic.
City staff also have a plan to issue computerized tickets to red light runners, those who block bike lanes, signs or parked illegally through the use of cameras connected to transportation ministry databases with the tickets of offenders mailed to the owner of the vehicle.
As of last September some 30 people have died in traffic incidents in Toronto, including 12 pedestrians, eight motorists, six cyclists, and four motorcyclists. This is compared to 25 road fatalities at the same time last year.
The Vision Zero strategy began in 2016 to reduce traffic-related deaths and serious injuries to zero. The goal is to get to zero fatalities and much lower serious injuries.