Latest news with #traffic safety
CTV News
12 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Calgary mayor, Alberta minister to discuss bike lanes as threats of removal loom
In a composite image made from two file photographs, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek, left, is shown in Calgary on Oct. 25, 2021 and Alberta Minister of Transportation Devin Dreeshen is shown in Calgary on May 19, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh EDMONTON — It was 10 years ago this month that Edmonton city staff returned a national traffic safety award when the councillors of the day voted to rip up a trio of bike lanes that played a small role in winning the prize. Councillors considered the lanes unsafe and underutilized. Edmonton has since built a flurry of new lanes to higher standards in busier areas. But the spectre of lane removals is again looming — this time over both of Alberta's major cities. In recent months, Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen has said he thinks Edmonton and Calgary have been going the wrong way when it comes to building bike infrastructure. He has said the province hasn't ruled out stepping in. In April, Dreeshen called on Edmonton and Calgary to remove bike lanes from 'major corridors,' as he said they clash with provincial goals and investments in expanding roadway networks for vehicles. Dreeshen, in an April interview, said his eyes were set on four already-finished bike lanes in Edmonton, plus an additional project that was nearly complete. When it came to Calgary, he said he hadn't done the same level of digging for examples. He traded brief letters with Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek earlier this summer over the future of bike infrastructure in her city, and the two are set to meet Wednesday to discuss next steps. Just like the reasoning used in 2015 by Edmonton councillors, Dreeshen has said the lanes he's concerned about aren't being used enough to justify their cost and, in turn, are making commutes longer for drivers. Francisco Alaniz Uribe, a professor at the University of Calgary's School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, said little has changed in the politics of bike lanes over the past 10 years. He expects it to remain a political conversation for years to come. 'We are in a moment where we're shifting some of our values of what we have been doing for decades, which is to prioritize the car on the street,' Alaniz Uribe said. 'And that has come to a point where you cannot continue to add capacity to that — there's no more room for extra lanes. 'But the political part of it is that there's a huge pushback on these changes for people that are accustomed and used to what is the status quo.' He said what's usually missing in the political conversation around bike lanes is data. 'They make streets safer, they allow for other aspects of urban planning to develop like making our cities more compact and building housing closer to employment centres, not having to spend so much money on parking, and even opening space for trees and green infrastructure,' Alaniz Uribe said. 'It is very difficult to talk about those in this kind of political conversation. Is it really the issue — bike lanes — or are we talking about more (of) a resistance to change?' City planners in Edmonton and Calgary say the actual percentage of cycling infrastructure that shares the road with cars is small in terms of each city's overall cycling network. In Edmonton, separated bike lanes and painted, but not protected, bike lanes make up just five per cent of the city's roughly 1,500 kilometres of cycling infrastructure, said Natalie Lazurko with the city's infrastructure department. Just how much of that five per cent meets the 'major corridor' threshold set by Dreeshen is unclear. Earlier this month, his office said the province is undertaking a review of existing bike lanes in both cities. Dreeshen has said the province hasn't ruled out stepping in to remove existing bike lanes, and that Alberta could follow Ontario in legislating that any new bike lane coming at the price of removing a vehicle lane would require provincial approval. Ontario's law, passed last year, also gave it the power to order municipalities to remove bike lanes and reinstall traffic lanes. A Charter challenge has been launched against parts of the bill, and awaits a judicial ruling. Lazurko said it would be difficult to pivot if the province or the next city council were to act on anti-bike lane urges. Adapting to new directions handed down by elected officials is also just part of the job, she said. 'Right now, we have a plan. Council has approved that plan. We're moving forward with that mandate,' said Lazurko. The plan, approved by council in 2020, set Edmonton's philosophy around bike infrastructure as being necessary to ensure residents have options to get around as the city grows. 'We have to rely on other ways of getting around. Otherwise, we're going to be living in congestion all over the place,' Lazurko said. 'We're not moving away from vehicular travel in Edmonton — that's never going to happen — but we are looking at providing more opportunities for people to travel in a different way.' A spokesperson for Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, who, unlike Gondek, isn't seeking re-election in the municipal elections this fall, said the minister hadn't requested a meeting with him about bike lanes. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2025. Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press
Washington Post
a day ago
- Automotive
- Washington Post
The number of U.S. highway deaths is horrifying. But we can reduce it.
Josh Max is a freelance auto and traffic safety writer in Colorado. I've been an auto journalist for 25 years. In that time, I've test-driven more than 1,400 cars, trucks, SUVs and exotics, the classics and the clunkers, the sublime and the absurd. It's a great job, of course, one I'm still grateful for every day.
CBC
6 days ago
- Automotive
- CBC
CAA survey suggests 73% of Ontarians support speed cameras, even as cams are cut down
A new survey suggests Ontarians broadly support automated speed enforcement, but its release comes as Toronto speed cameras continue to be chopped down. A Canadian Automobile Association South Central Ontario survey, conducted by market researcher DIG Insights and released Wednesday, finds 73 per cent of respondents support automated speed enforcement. The survey, which was conducted from March 7 to 19 and surveyed 1,500 Ontario drivers 18 or older, also found 76 per cent of respondents believe cameras deter speeding. The findings also suggested 73 per cent of those surveyed reported slowing down when nearing an automated speed enforcement camera and 52 per cent said they were unlikely to speed up again once they pass one up from 44 per cent in 2023. CAA community relations consultant Michael Stewart says this year's results suggested a bigger jump in tickets received than in years past. "If you have more cameras running automated speed enforcement, you will probably catch more drivers speeding, depending on what that speed is," he said in an interview with CBC Toronto. The survey found 23 per cent of respondents reported receiving a ticket from an automated speed enforcement camera, compared to 17 per cent in 2024. 25 cases of speed cam vandalism since 2024: city Earlier this year, the city doubled the number of automated speed cameras it uses to 150. Meanwhile, there have been 25 cases of vandalism to speed cameras in 2024 and 2025, the city told CBC Toronto in an emailed statement Wednesday. Overall, the survey findings suggest driver behaviours are changing, with 46 per cent of respondents reporting that they avoid roads with automated speed enforcement measures. That doesn't necessarily mean they're taking the reckless driving elsewhere, Stewart says. "Sometimes, people just don't want to risk an automated speed enforcement ticket so they found a new way to get to where they need to go," he said. "Maybe it's taking streets that have higher speed limits so they can travel at those speeds." Stewart added that in Ontario, anything over the posted limit is speeding and increases one's chance of a collision. "We don't want a driver to be involved in a crash. We don't want a pedestrian to be involved in a crash. So we really want to remind people that the posted speed limit is the speed limit for a reason," he said. Speed camera debate ongoing While the survey demonstrates strong support for speed cameras, Toronto saw 11 of its speed cameras vandalized in the first week of July. The Parkside Drive speed camera was chopped down a sixth time in just eight months at the beginning of July. Humber River-Black Creek Coun. Anthony Perruzza has said the city's speed camera program should be put on hold until September, calling them "speed traps." He later said he would work with Mayor Olivia Chow on amendments to a city report to the infrastructure committee on Vision Zero, Toronto's road safety strategy. "I think you see the angst with respect to the cameras because drivers don't see the camera. They don't know what the speed limit is because we don't make them clear. And then they get caught with a speed trap and then they react badly because you feel like there's this gotcha moment," he said. Perruzza says there needs to be better signage and suggested painting or wrapping the cameras in a visible colour. "Ultimately that's what we want to do, is change behaviour and make certain areas safer and not punish people monetarily," he said. Perruzza also says drivers who are first-time offenders are getting ticketed by speed cameras but shouldn't. Stewart says, no matter what, people shouldn't be vandalizing cameras. But he says the frustration does open up room for conversation and encourages the public to reach out to the city to better understand the reasons for them. With back to school season coming soon, the enforcement measures are all the more important, he says. "There will be a lot of kids in those areas and we really want to make sure that drivers are following those posted speed limits and keeping everyone safe," he said. City council is set to discuss automated speed enforcement over the next few days, which could bring drivers one step closer to clemency for first-time offenders and clearer signage.
CTV News
6 days ago
- Automotive
- CTV News
‘Notify the people faster': Council to consider capping speed camera tickets before first notice arrives
Toronto city council is considering a new rule that would prevent drivers from racking up multiple speed camera tickets at a single location before receiving their first warning in the mail. The proposal comes amid concerns from Coun. Anthony Perruzza that the cameras are more of a 'speed trap' than a safety tool. If approved, it would cap how many infractions a vehicle owner can receive from a single location before being formally notified. In a feasibility report released last week, city staff say the change could cost $32,000 to implement and would likely reduce revenue by an estimated $520,000 each time mobile cameras are relocated — though they stress the program was never meant to generate money. 'A faster notification period,' Chow says The feasibility report also says that approximately 5,800 of the 94,243 tickets issued in the first month of ASE enforcement at 150 locations went to repeat offenders. If council approves the change, the cameras would have to be reprogrammed to limit multiple fines against a single plate before a notice is delivered. Speaking to reporters ahead of today's meeting, Mayor Olivia Chow says she supports speeding up the notification process in addition to her previous motion to install larger signage. 'What I want to see is a faster notification period,' she told reporters. 'If we could actually notify the people faster, then they would say… that's fair, right?' It should be noted that Chow's separate motion to install more visible signs was approved last month by council. It came following a proposal by Perruzza to pause all ticketing while city staff reviewed the program. That motion was defeated by council. City vehicles racking up tickets of their own While the debate over fairness continues, it's not just Toronto-area residents getting flagged by speed cameras. In a statement to CTV News Toronto last week, the City of Toronto acknowledged that its own fleet of vehicles have racked up 190 ASE tickets so far this year, amounting to more than $18,000 in fines. The city clarified that drivers — not taxpayers — are responsible for paying those tickets, and that the fines are not automatically waived. Technology 'doing what it's meant to do' Despite the criticism, multiple studies suggest ASE cameras are effective in changing driver behaviour. A 2020-2022 study by researchers at SickKids and Toronto Metropolitan University found a 45 per cent drop in drivers exceeding the speed limit near ASE locations. More recently in an email to CTV, the CAA also noted a positive trend in driver habits revealing that 73 per cent of Ontario drivers say they slow down when approaching a speed camera. 'When drivers choose to slow down or change their routes because of photo radar, it means the technology is doing what it's meant to,' said Michael Stewart of CAA South Central Ontario. Speed camera at O'Connor Drive earns highest tickets this year Some camera locations have become notorious for ticket volumes. City data shows the most ticket-heavy camera in 2025 is on O'Connor Drive west of Lankin Blvd., where nearly 19,000 tickets have been issued so far. Council is expected to debate the proposed cap and other possible adjustments to the ASE program over the next two days.
Zawya
21-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Kuwait continues nationwide road development under comprehensive infrastructure plan
KUWAIT CITY - Minister of Public Works Dr. Noura Al-Mashaan confirmed on Sunday that the Ministry is steadily moving forward with the implementation of its comprehensive plan to develop and enhance road infrastructure across various regions of the country. In a press statement, Dr. Al-Mashaan emphasized that road repair and maintenance projects are progressing in line with predetermined schedules. The aim, she noted, is to improve road efficiency and ensure greater traffic safety for all users. Highlighting ongoing efforts on the ground, Engineer Fawaz Al-Mutairi stated that Ministry teams are actively supervising field work in Al-Omariya Block 1, where the second layer of asphalt is currently being laid. He also pointed to concurrent asphalt scraping operations underway in the Al-Rabiya area, both located within the Farwaniya Governorate. Al-Mutairi affirmed the Ministry's commitment to upholding the highest standards of quality and safety throughout all stages of implementation. He added that minimizing disruption to traffic remains a top priority during construction and maintenance activities. These developments, he noted, reflect the Ministry of Public Works' broader commitment to boosting infrastructure efficiency and enhancing the overall quality of life for both citizens and residents in Kuwait. Arab Times | © Copyright 2024, All Rights Reserved Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
