The City of Barrie is wasting no time in pushing forward with the implementation of a red-light camera (RLC) program.
With no discussion, city councillors on Wednesday supported a staff recommendation to send correspondence to the Minister of Transportation seeking approval to install and operate red-light cameras within the municipality where data shows a high level of red-light running.
Automated speed enforcement cameras were switched off across the province earlier this month after the Ford government passed legislation in October to ban them. The premier called the cameras a "cash grab" for municipalities and has said they don't slow drivers down, even though evidence gathered by municipalities and researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children found they do. The government is earmarking $210 million for municipalities to implement other traffic-calming measures.
Red-light runners would face a fine of $328.25, substantially more than the average $90 ticket issued to vehicle owners under the automated speed enforcement (ASE) program. In both cases, there is no loss of demerit points.
Net revenue from the RLC program would be allocated to the ASE reserve (to be renamed the Red-Light Camera Reserve) to be utilized for traffic calming and safety measures.
"A red-light camera (RLC) system uses a camera along with a radar device to capture images of vehicles that cross the stop bar at a traffic-light-controlled intersection after the light turns red," the staff report explained.
The report states the system can calculate how long the traffic signal turned red before the vehicle crossed into the intersection, and the speed at which the vehicle was travelling at the time the infraction occurred.
Unlike the ASE cameras, which were rotated to different locations within the city, the RLC systems will remain in place once they are installed.
Red light cameras have been used in Ontario since 2001.
City staff expect it will take approximately four months to set up and execute the required agreements for RLC with the installation of the cameras to follow immediately.
City council signalled its intentions months ago to consider a RLC program.
Council approved a motion last March that asked staff to investigate the feasiblity of installing RLCs in Barrie https://barrie360.com/barrie-red-light-cameras/, identify the characteristics of an intersection that best supports red-light cameras, and then identify the top locations on city streets.
In September, by direct motion, council approved a motion to move toward phasing out speed cameras and that staff be authorized to negotiate agreements to implement a RLC program in the city.
Data already collected by city staff will be used to determine initial locations for the RLCs.
