Red-light cameras don’t yet have the green light to proceed in Barrie.
While the city already has a speed cameras program in place, there are no immediate plans to photograph and ticket red-light runners.
All of which frustrates Matheus Oomen-Hurst, who commutes through the Mapleview Drive West area to his job with an electrical engineering company, and wants to know what measures the city is taking with the increasing numbers of drivers who are ignoring red lights.
“I am not talking about running late yellows, but the recent trend of driving into an intersection several seconds after receiving a red light,” he told BarrieToday. “I just had the pleasure of nearly being hit by one of these drivers (on Oct. 31) and luckily I saw him coming and avoided a collision.
“I am extremely fed up that these drivers appear to continue doing this without any consequences, on top of the fact this can lead to serious accidents,” added Oomen-Hurst, who has lived in south Barrie for 20 years. “I understand this can accidentally happen, but, considering the increasing occurrence, I suspect this is intentionally done by the driver.”
Coun. Clare Riepma, who represents Ward 1 in the east end of Barrie, said red-light cameras are not on the city’s radar right now.
“The city does not have any plans to install red-light cameras at this time,” he said. “However, I believe they may be helpful at some intersections that have a high rate of collisions.
“The city has automatic speed cameras and they have been quite successful in reducing speeds. The city will soon be doubling the number of speed cameras (to four from two zones) to further reduce speeding,” Riepma added.
At the Oct. 30 community safety committee meeting, Riepma asked Barrie Police Chief Rich Johnston if red-light cameras help improve road safety.
“I think any traffic initiative that reduces accidents and pedestrian strikes and causes people to be far more alert, with their driving habits, is supported by a public safety organization (like Barrie police),” Johnston said.
“How can we say no to whatever keeps our roads safer and gets people home safe at night. That’s the true measure of effectiveness," the chief added.
City data on all collisions, including self-reported ones, on all Barrie streets from 2015 to 2023 has fluctuated between a low of 2,012 in 2020 (during the pandemic) from a high of 2,893 in 2019. City streets had 2,470 collisions last year, and 2,410 in 2022.
Johnston noted red-light cameras would be owned by the city and he would not want to presume or tell the city what to do.
Oomen-Hurst said it should be a matter of need, not dollars.
“Red-light cameras are needed at major intersections,” he said. “I am wondering, since we have a (presumed) huge cash flow from the new speeding cameras project, if they could offset the cost of a few red-light cameras.
“Also, I do not see why affordability is a factor for enforcing a huge safety concern many people have.”
Oomen-Hurst also shared his concerns with Coun. Gary Harvey, who said that several years before his time on council a city staff report on red-light cameras did not recommend them due to cost.
But Harvey said last week he has asked for an update on red-light cameras to complement automated speed-enforcement cameras.
“I do believe that we need them for high problem intersections in the Mapleview (Drive) and (Highway) 400 area and a few other locations throughout the city,” Harvey said in his response to Oomen-Hurst, which he shared with BarrieToday. “It does take a while to adopt such a program as they are governed by provincial policy … right now the only approved processing centre in Ontario for red-light cameras is in Toronto.”
Gord MacBain, a driver in this city, was asked by BarrieToday what should be done about road safety besides automated speed enforcement, and mentioned red-light cameras.
“If they had the same effect as the speed cameras it would be the best thing ever for safety,” he said. “It’s gotten to the point where you’re reluctant to stop for the yellow (light) because you’re afraid the guy behind you is going to think that you’re running it and plows into you.”
A red-light camera is an automated system that detects and captures images of vehicles entering an intersection in spite of the traffic signal indicating red. The program is focused on altering driver behaviour to decrease red-light running and increase safety.
Images are reviewed by Provincial Offences officers and tickets are issued to the owner of the vehicle, regardless of who was driving.
Upon conviction, the only penalty is a fine; no demerit points will be issued nor will the registered owners’ driving record be impacted.
Automated speed enforcement, meanwhile, is a system that uses a camera and a speed-measuring device to detect and capture images of the licence plates of vehicles travelling faster than the posted speed limit in school or community safety zones. Tickets are mailed out within 23 days after a violation, the city says.
Barrie has used speed cameras since December 2023.
