Photo radar set to come to East Gwillimbury later this year
East Gwillimbury will have two sites as part of York Region's Pilot program
Yorkregion.com
February 12, 2020
Simon Martin
East Gwillimbury motorists better slow down. Two of the town’s busiest roads will be part of York Region’s automated photo radar pilot program over the next two years.
Both Leslie Street in front of Sharon Public School and Mount Albert Road in front of Mount Albert Pubic School will be locations in the 12-site pilot program.
“I’m really excited about this,” East Gwillimbury Mayor Virginia Hackson said. “It reinforces the message that speeding on our roads is unacceptable.”
Hackson said the two locations in East Gwillimbury are on two of the town’s busiest regional roads with significant car and truck traffic. “People seem to be in a hurry these days,” she said.
York regional council approved the launch of a two-year automated speed enforcement (ASE) pilot earlier this year, which will include using a camera and speed measurement device to enforce speed limits in 12 community safety zones as early as May 2020.
“This is another tool we can use to increase safety, protecting some of the most vulnerable people on our roads -- our students walking to and from school,” York Region Chairman and CEO Wayne Emmerson said. “Speed limits are set for a reason, and when people exceed speed limits, especially in community safety zones, they put everyone at risk.”
The pilot will include rotating one mobile ASE unit between 12 community safety zones over two years. Automated speed enforcement signs will be installed on regional roads 90 days in advance of activating a camera to inform motorists of the upcoming change.
“More than 90 per cent of pedestrians involved in a vehicle collision result in injuries or fatalities,” said King Mayor Steve Pellegrini, chair of the region’s transportation services. “This technology will help reinforce the message that motorists need to slow down.”
York Region will operate ASE during critical school hours in hopes of increasing safety in communities. “Municipal Speed Camera Coming Soon” signs will be installed 90 days prior to the camera operating in the area. After the 90 days, “Municipal Speed Camera In Use” signs will be installed and the camera will be operating for a month at each site.
The ASE locations, identified as the highest potential risk for schoolchildren, were selected by reviewing traffic volume, school population and travel speed. The mobile unit will rotate monthly among 12 community safety zones covering 19 schools.
Regional staff will review data from the pilot, including change in driver behaviour, review of technology and the impact on courts, and report to regional council. For more information on road safety programs, visit york.ca/traffic.
Hackson said the data collected could help municipalities in crafting future community safety policies. “There are very busy locations so there will be a lot of data,” she said. “We will see if the technology has an impact and if people’s driving habits change.”
The council approved budget to operate ASE on a two-year, limited-use pilot program is $500,000.
Findings from the pilot will be shared with local municipalities for their future consideration of ASE in community safety zones.
Other locations in the region that will be part of the pilot program are: Old Homestead Road in Georgina; Mulock Drive in Newmarket; Wellington Street in Aurora; Bloomington Road in Aurora and Stouffville; King Road in King; Bayview Avenue in Richmond Hill; Weston Road in Vaughan; Rutherford Road in Vaughan; and Highway 7 in Markham.
Last year the Ontario government enacted legislation that gave municipalities the ability to adopt new tools to promote safety in school zones and community safety zones, such as photo radar.
