New red light cameras curbing fatal collisions, city says
Toronto has nearly doubled red light camera intersections this year, with 65 new ones installed.

TheStar.com
Sept. 1, 2017
Sammy Hudes

The City of Toronto has nearly doubled its red light cameras as part of a plan it says is aimed at eliminating traffic death and serious injuries.

To date, 65 new cameras have been placed at intersections this year and are now operational, with another 10 to come that are still under construction or review.

The move was “an obvious opportunity” to expand Toronto’s traffic safety program, according to Myles Currie, director of the city’s Traffic Management Centre.

There were 77 locations with red light cameras prior to this year.

Currie said there’s been an average drop of 40 per cent in the number of collisions causing a death or serious injury at intersections with cameras. At some locations, there’s been no deaths or serious injuries caused by collisions since the cameras were installed.

“Whereas, traditionally, we would remove cameras and relocate them to other locations, we recommended to city council to keep the cameras from the previous phase,” he said in an emailed statement. “They continue to maintain their effectiveness at those locations and moreover, anecdotally we are seeing a halo effect of the cameras likewise serving to reduce fatal and serious injury collisions at adjacent intersections as well.”

The fine for running a red light is $325, which includes a $60 victim surcharge and $5 court cost. The city keeps $260 from each charge while the province collects the rest. Because the cameras can’t verify who was driving the vehicle at the time of the infraction, the fines are sent to the owner of the vehicle and no demerit points are issued.

The 75 new cameras will cost the city $2.1 million per year for next five years.

Of the intersections where new cameras have been installed this year, Eglinton Ave. and Danforth Rd. has seen the most charges, according to city data updated June 30.

More than 1,050 charges have been laid at the intersection for running a red light. Danforth Rd. and Brimley Rd. has seen the next most with about 750.

Signage is key to making sure the cameras are effective, according to Brian Patterson, president and CEO of the Ontario Safety League. He said that unlike common tactics like speed bumps, increasing the number of red light cameras is one of the few strategies he’s seen with positive results.

“It is one of the traffic calming and behaviour modification projects that really does work,” said Patterson. “In a number of jurisdictions, the greater frequency leads people to believe that at any given moment, the intersection they’re approaching could be a red light (camera) intersection.”

About 70 per cent of members of the Canadian Automobile Association’s South Central Ontario chapter support red light cameras, according to Elliott Silverstein, its manager of government relations.

Silverstein praised the move, but said it’s important for the city to ensure public safety is its main priority.

“Part of the challenge when it comes to any type of measure like this for some people, they see it not necessarily as an opportunity to change behaviour, they look at is a revenue stream,” Silverstein said.

“There have been instances in the past where certain tools have been used as a revenue generation, not necessarily in Toronto . . . but if the efforts are being shown to change behaviours, to keep people safe, to keep our road network moving, hopefully we’ll see greater support for these measures and hopefully not need these types of measures.”

He said support is also dependent on how the money raised through fines is used.

“If the expansion of the program helps invest in public education efforts, then the funds being generated are going back to help people understand and navigate our roads safely,” Silverstein said.