Ontario private member’s bill recommends photo radars to identify speeding vehicles to protect the safety of workers and the public
The legislation, the Highways Traffic Amendment Act (Safety Cameras), would allow the cameras to be installed only with authority from the municipalities. The cameras would take a photo of the speeding vehicle and then a ticket would be mailed to the vehicle owner with no demerit points.
A Harris/Decima survey commissioned by the Ontario Road Builders' Association shows that 67 per cent of Ontarians support the use of safety cameras to measure speed near schools, community centres and construction zones on provincial highways and local roads.
"There's no question that Ontarians believe safety cameras are the way to go to help police crack down on aggressive drivers who continue to ignore the speed limit and put lives at risk," said Karen Renkema, spokesperson for the Ontario Road Builders’ Association.
The survey also found 82 per cent are confident that greater enforcement of the speed limit in community safety and construction zones would help to improve safety.
"We've got the technology to make our roads and construction zones safer, and save lives, let's use it," said Renkema.
Between 2000 and 2006, 52 people were killed and more than 2,800 were injured in construction work zones on Ontario roadways, according to MTO data, and on average, 2,200 collisions occur each year in Ontario roadway construction zones.
In 2006, the Liberal government doubled speeding fines in construction zones when workers are present.
The bill is controversial as it would re-instate the use of photo radar on highways in the province which was scraped by the Mike Harris government after being in use for less than a year.
