Photo radar pilot aims to crack down on speeding in Hamilton

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Published July 8, 2020 at 7:42 pm

At their meeting on Wednesday (July 8) Hamilton’s Public Works Committee approved several measures that will hopefully slow drivers down on city streets.

At their meeting on Wednesday (July 8) Hamilton’s Public Works Committee approved several measures that will hopefully slow drivers down on city streets.

A report prepared by the City’s Transportation and Maintenance department recommended the creation of ‘Community Safety Zones,’ an area in a city where public safety is of special concern.

In these areas, which are required to be identified with signage, fines for moving violations are doubled.

In Hamilton, 75 neighbourhoods have been pinpointed as community safety zones.

In addition to doubling fines in the safety zones, the staff report introduces a pilot project that would see an automated speed enforcement (ASE) pilot project at several locations throughout Hamilton on a rotational basis.

Prior to the installation of the enforcement camera, ASE signage will be displayed at the
location for a period of 90 days and will be removed after the enforcement period, the report says.

The two mobile automated speed enforcement units would be rotated through select locations over the course of the pilot program.

So far, 12 areas in Hamilton have been selected for the project, but councillors on the Public Works Committee were quick to voice their dismay over some of the selected zones.

Some were also concerned about the fact that tickets could be issued to drivers travelling as little as 1 km/hr over the posted speed limit.

When this issue was broached by Ward 12 Councillor Lloyd Ferguson, the director of Hamilton’s Transportation and Maintenance Department, Edward Soldo quipped: “Speeding is speeding.”

So while currently there are just twelve locations pegged for the photo radar pilot, after numerous councillors spoke out about the spots in their wards where speed enforcement would be appreciated, councillor Tom Jackson introduced a motion that would allow for additional locations to be identified by the end of the year.

The committee approved the report and its recommendations in a vote of 9 to 1.

The first ASE location will be along Stone Church Road between Dartnall and Pritchard starting sometime this month.

For more information on the program, the staff report can be found here and the ASE locations here.

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