Latest news with #CrossroadsPublicSchool
Hamilton Spectator
29-05-2025
- Automotive
- Hamilton Spectator
Traffic camera beside Crossroads school vandalized
The traffic camera installed near Crossroads Public School in Virgil was brought down at its base by an unknown vandal early Tuesday morning. The Niagara Region, which owns the camera, said it's working to get the camera fixed soon. It appears to have been cut by a power tool. 'Niagara Region is aware of the vandalism to the automated speed enforcement camera on Regional Road 55,' said Scott Fraser, the region's associate director of transportation planning. He said the camera vendor, responsible for the installation and maintenance of the camera (which includes dealing with instances of vandalism), has been notified. Currently, the region doesn't have an estimate of how much it'll cost to repair the camera, Fraser said. 'However, we expect the site to be repaired and the camera returned to service within the next few days,' he said. Niagara-on-the-Lake has seen a wave of vandalism this year. On New Year's Day, there were 16 vehicles that had their windows smashed. In February, 10 cars had their windows broken at the Pillar and Post Hotel & Spa. The region started its speed enforcement program in 2023, with cameras rotating in different parts of Niagara since then. A camera by Crossroads was active in 2024 and again this year. The use of traffic cameras to enforce speeding, including in school zones like this one, has been met with some anger and controversy due to a belief among some drivers that the installation of the cameras is motivated by money-making rather than road safety, as well as issues with technology relating to the automated ticket system. 'My wife and son each received a ticket each in late February for going 53 and 52 km/h,' one local told The Lake Report in a roundup of opinions from ticketed drivers published last March . 'Total fines were $85 and $80, respectively. We will pay the fine, but we will take action to avoid Virgil. I believe these automated cameras are a soft way to get extra money into coffers in the guise of safety. We are all pro-safety, but also common sense.' 'I received a speeding ticket at Crossroads — $115 for driving at 58 km/h,' said another complainant. 'I paid by mail as the internet connection on the ticket did not work.' Parents like Todd Graves, the father of a Grade 5 student at Crossroads, see this as no excuse for the vandalism. 'I can understand speed camera frustration,' Graves said. 'But they are meant to be there for the benefit of the kids and vandalism is never acceptable.' A spokesperson for Niagara Regional Police says the force is aware of the incident and is asking the public for help in identifying the vandal. In the meantime, it wants the public to know that potential consequences for vandalism can be stiff in Niagara. Assuming the price of the speed camera is more than $5,000, 'the criminal charge would be mischief over $5,000, with a potential maximum penalty of two years in prison, a $5,000 fine, or both,' said Const. Rich Hingley in an email. Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Niagara Regional Police Service at (905)-688-4111 or Crimestoppers Niagara at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or daniel@
Hamilton Spectator
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- Hamilton Spectator
Virgil speed camera in current rotation, but not issuing tickets — yet
Starting later this month, drivers going past Crossroads Public School on Niagara Stone Road will need to look out for one of the Niagara Region's automated speed cameras that will be actively recording vehicles going over the legal limit. The Niagara Region, responsible for its installation, would not confirm the exact date and time the speed cameras would begin issuing tickets, with transportation officer Scott Fraser saying it would begin 'later in May,' running until late August. Also being added to the site are flex-post bollards and updated pavement markings. Crews are finishing up their installations and conducting final testing, following which the camera will be ready to go, Fraser said. This is part of the region's Vision Zero program, which aims to improve road safety. As part of that, the region rotates the placement of speed cameras every 90 days throughout Niagara, placing them in community safety and school zones, to prevent serious collisions. A sign currently at the site reads 'Municipal speed camera in use,' but Fraser confirmed the camera is still inactive, though the region's website states the sign indicates active cameras, at . A May 1 news release by the region outlines new safety measures approved by the regional council, stating that during the installation phase, 'some signs may read 'In use' as part of the testing process.' It can take two to three weeks to get a speeding camera up and running safely in a new location, he said, adding that the cameras do not switch on or off exactly at the start or end of the month. Data collected before, during and after installing the speed cameras showed a clear impact on speeding in the region, said Fraser. Average speeds dropped by seven kilometres per hour when cameras were first set up and by nine kilometres per hour once everything was fully in place. Speeding violations per hour also dropped by 86 per cent when cameras returned to the same spot a second time and drivers kept speeds low even after cameras were removed, he said. Drivers are expected to follow the posted speed limit, but the region does build in a buffer of how many kilometres over the posted limit a driver can go before issuing a ticket — but it will not say what it is. 'There's a moderate threshold before a ticket is issued,' said Fraser. 'But we don't disclose it to avoid suggesting there's an acceptable margin above the speed limit.' The camera only captures rear license plates, he said, adding the region's traffic monitoring shows cameras reduce speeds in both directions, regardless of which way the camera is facing. New measures aim to make signs and speed limits clearer and more consistent in school and community safety zones, after the region received complaints following the launch of its speed camera program in 2023. The region will set clear criteria for approved school zones and when speed limits should be lowered, use consistent and constant speed limits at all times of day in most school zones and add better signs and traffic calming tools for safety. Including NOTL, the region is rolling out these changes during May in the eight Community Safety Zones as part of this season's rotation. Residents will see new speed limit signs that apply all day, directly in front of schools in most school zones. Other parts of the zone will keep their regular speed limits. Crews will also install traffic-calming tools, like flex-post bollards and fresh pavement markings, at these sites. Fraser confirmed the automated speed enforcement system itself remains unchanged from last year, with 'no changes to the equipment or how it operates,' he said. The speed camera on York Road, near St. Davids Public School, is not part of this latest rotation, and Fraser said there is no confirmed date for its return, as construction in the area may affect the schedule. The Niagara Stone Road and York Road cameras likely would not be active at the same time, he said. The region plans its camera rotation based on geographic coverage, so it typically avoids activating cameras that are close together at the same time. 'But this isn't a firm rule,' Fraser said. This is the first phase of the region's broader road safety plan. Speed limit and sign changes in other community safety zones will continue through 2025 and 2026, Fraser added. paigeseburn@
