Community News

TOWN GETTING TWO PHOTO RADAR SPEED CAMERAS

FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE WILL BE HIRED TO SUPERVISE THE PROGRAM EXPECTED TO HAVE NET COST OF $241,000

ROHAN PURI rpuri@metroland.com

Caledon will soon be getting two automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras to enhance safety and enforce speed restrictions in community safety zones (CSZ) on town roads.

Automated speed enforcement (ASE), or photo radar, is a system that uses a camera and a speed measurement device to capture images of vehicles going faster than the limit.

The town council had approved the use of ASE cameras in Caledon for 2023 last month. The program is to begin in the summer of 2023.

The town's ASE program will see the use of two mobile cameras installed in designated CSZs to photograph licence plates of moving vehicles travelling over the posted speed limit.

"Based on the provincial regulations, ASE will only be used in community safety zones and school zones to protect our most vulnerable residents and help them feel comfortable while walking, running, playing, cycling and generally enjoying their community," said Arash Olia, manager of transportation engineering at the Town of Caledon.

Olia said ASE technology used in these zones would help make drivers more aware of their speed

and the need to slow down.

The images will be reviewed by provincial offence officers, and then tickets will be issued to the

owner of the vehicle.

"Coming soon" signs will be installed for at least 90 days, wherever a speed camera will be placed to alert motorists of its upcoming installation or reinstallation. Once the speed camera goes live, the sign will be replaced by a "Municipal Speed Camera in Use" sign.

The ASE camera will go live at each location for 90 days, and simultaneously "coming soon" signs will be installed at new locations.

"The estimated cost of running the program, including two cameras, is about $641,000 annually," said Olia. According to a staff report, the program is likely to generate a total estimated fine revenue of $400,000, bringing the net cost of the program to $241,000.

A new full-time employee will be hired to supervise the program.

"There is a new position that will have a number of duties, one of which will include the automated speed enforcement program," he said.

According to the staff report, full utilization of the town's ASE program is largely dependent on the court's capacity to process the tickets. The maximum court capacity in Caledon that can be currently allocated to this program is 12,000 tickets per year.

The number of cameras in place does not affect the overall limit of 12,000 camera-related offences per year, the report said.

Earlier, the Region of Peel had started a pilot program in the fall of 2020, where they put a mobile photo radar camera up to snap speeders on roads near Caledon schools.

Six school zones in Caledon were picked to have the camera on a rotating basis.

Caledon was chosen to pilot the program because its provincial offences court could handle the extra capacity — whereas Brampton and Mississauga courts couldn't.

NEWS

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2023-03-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://communitynews.pressreader.com/article/281487870595700

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