Earlier this month, Calgary modified 40 of the city’s 44 red-light cameras to measure a car’s speed as it goes through an intersection. Five cameras will be operational by April 1, when the program officially begins.
The new cameras are intended to serve as another deterrant for Calgary speeders who will be faced with fines ranging from $60 to $350. The city already makes use of multiple vehicle-mounted photo radar systems. With this new program, Calgary has made safety at intersections a top priority.
Given that nearly half of Ottawa’s traffic collisions occur at intersections, the city should seriously consider following Calgary’s example. Between 2004 and 2006 almost 7,200 people were injured and 18 died as a result of collisions at city intersections.
In 2000, Ottawa took part in a two-year provincial red-light camera pilot project. The Ministry of Transportation determined the pilot was a success and several municipalities, including Ottawa, have continued to use the technology.
Ottawa currently has 19 cameras dispersed throughout the city. If a driver is caught running a red light, the owner of the car is sent a $150 fine as well as a $30 victim surcharge.
While red-light cameras have shown their effectiveness in decreasing fatal collisions, a recent study indicates that speeding is a greater cause for concern. The study also states that cars that try to break at the very last second in order to avoid a ticket are involved in more T-bone and rear-end collisions.
And it is clear for some, red-light cameras are an insufficent deterrant. Before the camera on the corner of Albert and Kent streets was removed due to construction, city officials documented 37 blatant red-light violations in just five hours and only from northbound traffic.
The city needs to get at the root cause and deal with speeding first and the rest will fall into place. If Ottawa were to make use of the resources available to deter speeding, much like those used in Calgary, pedestrians would be safer.
Being a pedestrian in Ottawa can be quite dangerous. Not only are drivers generally unfriendly and at times oblivious, some also seem to have a sense of entitlement on the road. Yellow lights somehow mean "speed up" and some drivers get going so fast they can't break safely before the light turns red.
Pedestrians are far more vulnerable than other drivers and their passengers. Without the protection of a vehicle with safety features, people on foot are exposed and vulnerable and an average fender-bender could become a fatal accident.
Between 2005 and 2007, speeding was a factor in 93 deaths and nearly 9,000 collisions on Ottawa roads.
The only way the City of Ottawa can protect both its pedestrians and its drivers is to begin to enforce the speeding laws already in place. Road safety is ensured by creating safe streets, not just safe intersections.
By making use of all possible resources, including red-light speed cameras and vehicle-mounted photo radar, Ottawa will deter speeding altogether making the city safer for all.