‘That's a lot': Vaughan pumps the brakes on photo radar after a deluge of speeding tickets raises hackles
Have Vaughan's new automated speed cameras become a victim of their own success?
The municipality says it will pause issuing fines to speedy drivers after the city's recently launched automated speed enforcement program appears to have exceeded expectations.
Over a period of three weeks, more than 32,000 tickets were issued to drivers who went over the speed limit — in most cases 40 km/h — at 10 locations around the city where the automated speed cameras are located.
'That's a lot,' Mayor Steven Del Duca told city council last week, referring to the number of tickets issued from the end of April to mid-May.
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Del Duca said he asked staff for a report on the speed cameras after his office was inundated with complaints from Vaughan residents, with some raising the issue of 'fairness.'
'I think it's also safe to say, as someone who drives assertively myself, that we do in certain areas of the city, have a bit of an issue with motorists who are using the roads and are driving too fast,' added Del Duca, at the meeting.
But he said he has 'heard very loudly and clearly' from residents about the rollout of the cameras.
He said the issue is not 'about whether people should be driving slower on city roads,' but that a large chunk of the community was still 'caught off guard,' despite months of notices along roadways, public education efforts and large signage.
Del Duca told council that several seniors told him they stopped going to bingo altogether after racking up numerous infractions on the same route — and they only found out they had been nabbed for speeding after several tickets showed up in their mailbox.
There is a question in residents' minds 'around fairness about the initiative,' he said, and whether it's truly keeping roads safe or it's simply a way for the city to generate revenue.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
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According to the staff report, the highest number of tickets — nearly 10,000 — were issued along New Westminster Drive, which has a posted speed of 40 km/h. According to the speed cameras, the average speeder on that stretch was clocked doing 56 km/h and the fastest was caught driving about 95 km/h.
However, the data shows that the number of infractions decreased in the same area over time, going from 4,482 in the first week to 1,994 in the third week.
Typically, going 10 km/h over the limit would result in a fine of $68.25, which includes a $50 fine, a $10 victim surcharge fee and $8.25 license plate surcharge fee.
Data from two cameras was deemed incomplete, due to vandalism of the devices — an issue that has plagued speed cameras in Toronto too.
Council's motion will pause fines during the summer, but heavy-footed drivers will still receive warnings if they are caught speeding on city roads. The pause will give the city time to ensure signage and warnings are effectively communicated.
Gta
Who installed a camera to watch the Parkside speed camera, and where is it now? The latest chapter in an enduring Toronto mystery
Who put up the trail camera? We don't know. Did it catch the suspect? No idea.
Gta
Who installed a camera to watch the Parkside speed camera, and where is it now? The latest chapter in an enduring Toronto mystery
Who put up the trail camera? We don't know. Did it catch the suspect? No idea.
But Ward 3 Coun. Rosanna DeFrancesca said the punitive nature of the fines is what will make people change their behaviour.
'That's the whole point — if you got tickets, you aren't paying attention,' said DeFrancesca told council. 'It's the summer … we got kids running around … and this is the most dangerous time for our pedestrians.'
In May, Premier Doug Ford also spoke about the public perception that the automated speed cameras were being used to generate income for cash-strapped municipalities. The province introduced measures in the budget that requires cities to be more transparent about signage, and also gives the Ministry of Transportation the ability to intervene on how the cameras are used.
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CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
Vaughan delays speed camera enforcement until fall
Video Following a recent council vote, Vaughan will hold off on issuing fines from its speed camera program until at least September and will send warnings instead.
CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
Vaughan hits pause on speed camera program citing rollout concerns from residents
Speed cameras are coming to 10 locations across Vaughan in March. The City of Vaughan is temporarily suspending fines from their brand-new speed cameras amid a 'spike' in calls from residents seeking to appeal the penalties and several acts of vandalism. Mayor Steven Del Duca says the city will stop issuing fines until at least September, following a council vote last week. Instead, only warning notices will be sent out while staff review how the Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) program was implemented. Since the cameras were activated in March, a city report says more than 32,000 tickets have been issued, with nearly 13,000 in the first week alone. The city says the cameras have helped reduce average speeds by nearly 20 per cent across all locations. 'We've heard your concerns loud and clear about the way the program was implemented,' Del Duca wrote in a social media post last week. 'We're committed to getting it right, prioritizing safety while ensuring the program is fair to everyone.' Which locations saw the biggest surge? Over three weeks, Vaughan issued 32,006 tickets from its 10 ASE cameras. The vast majority came from just six locations, including: New Westminster Drive: 9,877 tickets Kipling Avenue: 6,004 tickets Ansley Grove Road: 5,116 tickets Melville Avenue: 4,772 tickets Peter Rupert Avenue: 2,564 tickets Hilda Avenue: 2,122 tickets New Westminster Drive, where the posted limit is 40 km/h, saw an average speed of 56 km/h, with one vehicle clocked at 97 km/h. The fastest speed recorded across all sites was 145 km/h — caught on Peter Rupert Avenue, which alone has issued over 2,500 tickets. So far, fewer than 40 per cent of all tickets issued have been paid. As of last Wednesday, only 12,252 were settled, leaving more than 18,000 unpaid. Vaughan speed cameras A map shows the locations of several planned locations for 10 rotating speed cameras in Vaughan. Potential solutions staff are considering The city is now considering changes such as improved signage, pavement markings, speed cushions, flex posts, limiting ticket frequency, and potentially restricting the cameras to school hours. 'Our top priority is ensuring the safety of all road users, especially vulnerable ones like school kids and seniors,' Del Duca added. 'Thank you to the community for your emails, calls, and DMs. We're listening and responding based on your feedback.' Some councillors admit getting caught too Coun. Rosanna DeFrancesca says she received a ticket herself and understands residents' frustrations with how quickly violations can add up. 'I've been caught. I've had one ticket, I clocked at 52 (in a 40) and I knew it,' she told CTV News Toronto. 'And I thought, okay, I'm getting a ticket here because it was out of the norm for me… and that's what we want. We want people to condition themselves to pay attention.' Her son, she added, received three tickets in a month. 'We're going to be looking at possibly a warning before an initial ticket, or maybe some discretion within 30 days, because people are getting like, three or four tickets within a 30-day period,' she said. Vaughan speed camera An image of a speed camera at 300 Peter Rupert St. in Vaughan. 'Not a cash grab,' councillor says A staff report that was considered by council last week noted that the city has received a 'spike' in calls since fines first began being issued in April. Staff said that due to the increased calls and email volumes, both Service Vaughan and the city's by-law enforcement division have had to bring on 'surge staff' to assist residents amid rising call wait times. Staff said that on May 12, a recent high of 84 people contacted Service Vaughan about the cameras, may of them looking to dispute their fines. While acknowledging the rollout could have been handled better, DeFrancesca says the program should not be abandoned. 'We want to make sure that they understand that this is not about getting a cash grab. This is about overall safety on our streets,' she said. 'It's only a cash grab if you're speeding. It's not a tax, it's only implemented to people who are speeding.' Police seeking suspects who have been destroying speed cameras in Vaughan Police seeking suspects who have been destroying speed cameras in Vaughan She pointed to longstanding resident concerns about speeding. 'I got elected in 2010 and that's all I heard for the first two terms of my time here as councillor — that you need to slow people down,' she said. 'People are driving too fast.' She also cautioned against removing cameras altogether. 'I personally don't think that opting out of cameras is a good way to go,' she said. 'A lot of residents feel unsafe, even with their children walking to school or to a local library. They're worried about letting their kids walk,' she said.
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Toronto Star
‘That's a lot': Vaughan pumps the brakes on photo radar after a deluge of speeding tickets raises hackles
Have Vaughan's new automated speed cameras become a victim of their own success? The municipality says it will pause issuing fines to speedy drivers after the city's recently launched automated speed enforcement program appears to have exceeded expectations. Over a period of three weeks, more than 32,000 tickets were issued to drivers who went over the speed limit — in most cases 40 km/h — at 10 locations around the city where the automated speed cameras are located. 'That's a lot,' Mayor Steven Del Duca told city council last week, referring to the number of tickets issued from the end of April to mid-May. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Del Duca said he asked staff for a report on the speed cameras after his office was inundated with complaints from Vaughan residents, with some raising the issue of 'fairness.' 'I think it's also safe to say, as someone who drives assertively myself, that we do in certain areas of the city, have a bit of an issue with motorists who are using the roads and are driving too fast,' added Del Duca, at the meeting. But he said he has 'heard very loudly and clearly' from residents about the rollout of the cameras. He said the issue is not 'about whether people should be driving slower on city roads,' but that a large chunk of the community was still 'caught off guard,' despite months of notices along roadways, public education efforts and large signage. Del Duca told council that several seniors told him they stopped going to bingo altogether after racking up numerous infractions on the same route — and they only found out they had been nabbed for speeding after several tickets showed up in their mailbox. There is a question in residents' minds 'around fairness about the initiative,' he said, and whether it's truly keeping roads safe or it's simply a way for the city to generate revenue. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW According to the staff report, the highest number of tickets — nearly 10,000 — were issued along New Westminster Drive, which has a posted speed of 40 km/h. According to the speed cameras, the average speeder on that stretch was clocked doing 56 km/h and the fastest was caught driving about 95 km/h. However, the data shows that the number of infractions decreased in the same area over time, going from 4,482 in the first week to 1,994 in the third week. Typically, going 10 km/h over the limit would result in a fine of $68.25, which includes a $50 fine, a $10 victim surcharge fee and $8.25 license plate surcharge fee. Data from two cameras was deemed incomplete, due to vandalism of the devices — an issue that has plagued speed cameras in Toronto too. Council's motion will pause fines during the summer, but heavy-footed drivers will still receive warnings if they are caught speeding on city roads. The pause will give the city time to ensure signage and warnings are effectively communicated. Gta Who installed a camera to watch the Parkside speed camera, and where is it now? The latest chapter in an enduring Toronto mystery Who put up the trail camera? We don't know. Did it catch the suspect? No idea. Gta Who installed a camera to watch the Parkside speed camera, and where is it now? The latest chapter in an enduring Toronto mystery Who put up the trail camera? We don't know. Did it catch the suspect? No idea. But Ward 3 Coun. Rosanna DeFrancesca said the punitive nature of the fines is what will make people change their behaviour. 'That's the whole point — if you got tickets, you aren't paying attention,' said DeFrancesca told council. 'It's the summer … we got kids running around … and this is the most dangerous time for our pedestrians.' In May, Premier Doug Ford also spoke about the public perception that the automated speed cameras were being used to generate income for cash-strapped municipalities. The province introduced measures in the budget that requires cities to be more transparent about signage, and also gives the Ministry of Transportation the ability to intervene on how the cameras are used.
