Red-light cameras help reduce T-bone collisions 72 per cent in York Region

YorkRegion.com
Oct. 18, 2018
Simon Martin

The red-light cameras stationed at some of York Region’s busiest intersections are more than an added worry for commuters; they are live savers. Extensive data collected by York Region over the past eight years show that right-angle (T-bone) collisions are substantially reduced at intersections that have red-light cameras.

According to York Region Manager of Corridor Control and Safety Nelson Costa, right-angle collisions have been reduced  72 per cent at intersections with red-light cameras since they were implemented in the region in 2013.

The numbers are stark. Take Hwy. 7 and Yonge Street. From 2010 to 2013 before there was a red-light camera, the intersection had 40 right-angle collisions. After the red-light camera was installed there have been three right-angle collisions from 2014 to 2017. That is a 93 per cent reduction. It is much the same story at other intersections with red-light cameras installed. Hwy. 27 and Langstaff Road in Vaughan went from 25 right-angle collision to two, Wellington Street and Yonge Street in Aurora went from 42 to six and Green Lane and Yonge Street in East Gwillimbury went from 51 to 14.

“Red light cameras are helping to change driver behaviour and have resulted in significant collision decreases across the entire regional road network,” Costa said.

Thirty new red-light cameras were added in mid-2017 but there is insufficient data to draw conclusions at this time about their impact on collisions.

Costa said there are a few intersections where right-angle collisions have started to increase after the removal of cameras. York Region will continue to monitor and consider reinstalling cameras upon completion of construction.

“We get input and consult with York Regional Police regarding which intersections would benefit the most from red-light cameras based on their experience,” Costa said.

Broader regional coverage and moving camera locations will provide maximum safety benefits to the community, Costa added.

When it comes to which intersection had the most chargeable offences in 2017, Keele Street and Doney Crescent/Jardin Drive in Vaughan led the way with 792 chargeable offences. It was followed by Bathurst Street and Davis Drive in Newmarket with 679, Hwy. 7 and Vaughan Valley Boulevard in Vaughan with 664, Bloomington Road and Kennedy Road in Whitchurch-Stouffville with 634 and Keele Street and King Road in King City with 546.

In the six years of running the red-light camera program, the intersection with the most chargeable offences is Hwy. 7 and Bathurst Street in Vaughan with 7,679 offences since 2013. It is followed by Hwy. 7 and Yonge Street in Richmond Hill with 3,349, Davis Drive and Woodbine in East Gwillimbury with 2,486, Dufferin Street and King Road in King City with 2,259 and Hwy. 7 and Vaughan Valley Boulevard in Vaughan with 2,197.

According to the region’s data, there have been 42,871 offences as of June 2018 since it implemented red-light cameras. The set fine for running a red light is $325. Of that, $265 goes to the region and the province collects $60.