Automated Speed Enforcement

What is being proposed?

Would you like to see people driving more slowly in school zones? Would you like continuous enforcement of the speed limit in school zones? Then sign this petition calling for automated speed enforcement in school zones and community safety zones!

What else can you do? Share this petition with friends, family, co-workers and parents of kids at schools in your area! Just click the sharing tools button on the right to share via email, Facebook and/or Twitter.

Background

IMG_3702.JPGBill 65 (Safer Schools Act, 2017), empowers municipalities in Ontario to set speed limits below 50 km/hr (through a designating bylaw) and to use automated speed enforcement in community safety zones and in school zones. Bill 65 received Royal Assent on 30 May 2017.

Automated speed enforcement has been shown to reduce average speeds of vehicles, reduce the incidence of speeding and reduce the number and severity of crashes. The main results of a 2010 Cochrane Review, which examined 35 studies of automated speed enforcement in multiple jurisdictions found that:

“Compared with controls, the relative reduction in average speed ranged from 1% to 15% and the reduction in proportion of vehicles speeding ranged from 14% to 65%. In the vicinity of camera sites, the pre/post reductions ranged from 8% to 49% for all crashes and 11% to 44% for fatal and serious injury crashes. Compared with controls, the relative improvement in pre/post injury crash proportions ranged from 8% to 50%.”

The City of London's Road Safety Strategy (2014-2019) did not anticipate that municipalities would be able to set lower speed limits by area and use automated speed enforcement within those areas. On 16 May 2017, we unanimously adopted the Vision Zero principles, which include “no loss of life is acceptable” and “traffic fatalities and serious injuries are preventable.”

In March 2015, municipal council requested city staff to report back to civic works committee with respect to lowering speed limits in school zones. In May 2015, municipal council directed city staff to finalize a draft policy for lower speed limits in school zones. The policy was passed by council in July 2016 and bylaw amendments have been brought forward and passed since that meeting to implement 40km/hr limits in school zones throughout the city. A list of the current 40km/hr limits is available (PDF). Learn more at the city's overview page for school zone speed limits.

Related Documents

Request to Municipal Council

Councillors Mohamed Salih, Josh Morgan, Virginia Ridley, Jared Zaifman and myself will be bringing forward a letter with the following resolution to civic works committee, likely on 15 May 2018.

Recognizing that automated speed enforcement is not included in the City of London's road safety strategy, we believe we should move forward on this front immediately, given the anticipated positive impact of automated speed enforcement, by implementing automated speed enforcement in community safety zones and school zones, along with speed limits at 40 km/hr or lower.

We are seeking support from Municipal Council for the following resolution:

Civic Administration BE DIRECTED to:

    1. Consult with the members of the London Road Safety Coalition, appropriate advisory committees, local school boards and other stakeholders on the potential implementation of automated speed enforcement in community safety zones and school zones;
    2. Consult with staff in Canmore, Alberta about their experience implementing the municipality’s “I Drive Safely” program, which uses automated speed enforcement.
    3. Report back to the appropriate standing committee on:
      • a proposed approach to automated speed enforcement in community safety zones and school zones;
      • speed limits at or below 40 km/hr for community safety zones and school zones;
      • a proposed budget for the overall automated speed enforcement program; and
      • a proposed allocation for any revenues collected via automated speed enforcement in excess of the costs of the program — for example, for any excess revenues to fund other vision zero road safety initiatives.
      • any preliminary data gathered about the effectiveness of existing measures deployed in school zones (pedestrian crossovers, road markings, lower speed limits, etc.)"

160 signed so far. Help us get to 100!

Will you sign?

Recent responses

  • Andrew McClenaghan
  • This is an important first step. Furthermore, evidence shows that lowering speeds to 30km/hr significantly increases the chances of survival for vulnerable road users who are hit by someone driving a vehicle. (https://www.propublica.org/article/unsafe-at-many-speeds) Therefore, I would also advocate for this speed limit reduction to be made in school zones.


    However, enforcement and education are band-aid solutions with limited efficacy where streets are designed for unsafe speeds and inattentive driving. Enforcement and education cannot be our primary focus if we genuinely value the safety of vulnerable road users such as children, seniors, pedestrians, cyclists, and those with mobility challenges. Therefore, enforcement and education should be viewed as temporary solutions while we redesign our streets based on current globally recognized best-practices for safety.


    Ultimately, I hope that city council pushes for evidence-based engineering changes which prioritize the safety of vulnerable road users. Research has proven that placing the responsibility for safety on city planners and the engineers designing our streets is more effective than hoping that individual road users will choose to drive slowly on streets designed like a race track. Pinch points, leading pedestrian traffic signals, and shorter crossing distances at intersections are a few examples of design changes that would truly improve safety on our roads.


    Thank you for your advocacy efforts in these areas!
  • I support safer roads!
  • MaryBeth McCurdy Although sidewalks were installed on Oak Park Drive for “safety concerns”, there are no speed limit signs in Oakridge Acres, as well as no school speed limit signs, near ANY of 3 schools in our neighbourhood. The rationale on this appears to be rather nonsensical. (Green cardboard “slow down” signs were just recently added … no speed limit included however)