The lowdown is that Barrie speed cameras slow down city traffic in every direction.
City figures released this week show that automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras in four zones are having the desired effect.
The cameras have been successful in achieving speeding reductions in the two initial community safety zone locations, city numbers show, when compared to the use of flashing 40 kilometres per hour amber beacons during peak school hours this year.
In four locations, during peak school hours, speeds were reduced by 16 km/h at the Essa Road northbound location Feb. 29 to May 14, cut by 3 km/h at the Ardagh Road westbound location March 1 to May 14, lowered by 7 km/h at the Cundles Road eastbound location and decreased by 9 km/h at the Leacock Drive southbound location, both stretches of street on May 15 to July 12.
“I have noticed a real improvement in those zones, so my conclusion would be that one way or the other, the cameras definitely seem to be working,” said Gordon MacBain of Barrie.
Peter Heal, also of Barrie, who got an $80 ticket Jan. 4 for travelling 52 km/h in a reduced 40-km/h zone on Anne Street North, said he has noticed a marked reduction of speeding in school zones, on average, during the past few months.
“My opinion on what looked at first to be a cash grab has now changed and I would agree that, regardless of the psychology behind it, the cameras seem to be working,” he said.
“As someone who has always tried to adhere to the reduced speed limit in school zones, I have to say I have noticed I am no longer the only one slowing down and the cars around me are now driving at the reduced speed too.”
These numbers are based on 85th percentile speed, or the speed at or below which 85 per cent of drivers travel on a segment of road. Vehicle speeds were recorded for 24 hours using the speed tracker device and contractor counts.
City staff identified the peak hours when students are arriving and or leaving the school site. The data is the 85th percentile during the peak school hours, not the full 24-hour period, as the focus is on community safety.
ASE 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.
From mid-July until early October, Barrie’s ASE camera zones were located southbound on Prince William Way, near Saint Gabriel the Archangel Catholic School, and eastbound on Little Avenue, near Assikinack Public School.
The cameras are now westbound on Wellington Street West near Hillcrest Public School and eastbound on Grove Street East near Eastview Secondary School.
In June, city council approved leasing two more speed cameras, which will give Barrie four instead of two speed-camera zones for ticketing, as each location requires one camera. Barrie has not yet gone from two to four ASE zones, but it’s expected sometime this fall.
There is a significant difference between the tickets issued and the number of violations recorded, as the focus is on reviewing events recorded weekdays 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., as this is the prime period when vulnerable members of the community may be impacted by speeding, and due to limited available resources to process violations, the city says.
The number of tickets issued relate to whether the image captured is of adequate quality to issue a ticket. Based on the rates of speed exceeding the maximum speed limit during the operation at these locations, the average ASE fine per ticket is approximately $90.
“Maybe the price of a ticket or two is all it takes for people to do the right thing in the long run,” Heal said. “My own experience in getting nabbed when the cameras first appeared, and the school zone lights stopped flashing to warn of the speed reduction, certainly made me more aware of the speed limit during certain times of the day.”
This $90 cost is the same as an average ticket issued by police officers for the same violation, say city staff, but an ASE violation does not include the loss of demerit points or a record on a driver’s licence, as the ticket is issued to the owner of the vehicle not the driver.
As with regular tickets, there’s a difference between the legislated payment period, when a fine is to be paid, and when the next steps take place to move the infraction to what’s called a ‘vehicle plate denial’.
As of Aug. 17, 2024, 72.97 per cent of ASE charges issued have been paid —- which represents 71.13 per cent of the gross fine amount issued.
Speed cameras are being rotated through different community safety zones every few months. The city has 27 community safety zones, established by city council through a bylaw, and cover road areas where there is a higher risk to, or concern for, drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and/or others who share the space.
Barrie has used ASE cameras since December 2023. Tickets are mailed out within 23 days after an ASE violation, according to the city.
