By Tim Brown
The city of Ottawa is moving forward with its plan to use existing red-light cameras to ticket motorists who speed through intersections.
According to Ottawa Police Sgt. Rick Lavigne, the cameras already have that capability.
“It’s just a matter of turning it on,” he says.
Those who support the idea say the “speed on green” cameras would make Ottawa’s intersections safer. Every month two red-light cameras are currently rotated around eight intersections.
“I’m hopeful that we’ll use the technology in the next couple of years,” says city councillor Jacques Legendre. “But we will have to implement the changes and it’ll take some time.”
Legendre says the plan cannot proceed without a change in Ontario law.
Photo radar was effectively squashed by the Tories in 1995.
Legendre was the first city councillor to support radar in Ottawa. He says he’s seen drivers running red lights and it’s obvious that some are speeding through intersections.
“At very little additional cost police will be able to catch two infractions instead of just one,” he says.
“Edmonton was 88 per cent in favour,” he says. “There has been huge public acceptance in other municipalities when the choice is between radar and not having anything.”
Edmonton operates 60 “speed on green” cameras across 60 intersections. Winnipeg and Calgary also operate radar cameras.
Critics say the radar is more about money than safety. More traffic infractions mean higher revenue for the city.
A memo sent to city council members last week explained that in other cities, photo radar “contributes dramatically to off-setting the cost of operating electronic photo enforcement programs.”
In other words, it’s much easier to pay for the cameras when motorists are paying for both red-light and speeding tickets.
Lavigne says the money goes “straight to the city coffers.”
But Ottawa isn’t making any money off its cameras right now. This year the city hopes to add four cameras and monitor four more intersections.
Operational costs for 2005 alone are expected to reach $1,800,000, while revenue from the cameras is expected to be just $450,000.
By 2009 the city hopes to have 10 cameras working across 20 locations.
City officials say the cameras are worthwhile. They’re convinced the cameras are making the streets safer and enabling police to direct their attention elsewhere.
“Red-light cameras have certainly reduced the number of people running red lights,” says Lavigne. “And it has reduced the number of collisions.”
City traffic engineer Chris Brinkman agrees. Since the red-light camera program began four years ago, Brinkman says almost 13,000 tickets have been issued.
Intersections where cameras have been installed are safer, he said.
Supporters of the “speed on green” cameras say they hope photo radar will be equally effective in deterring to reckless drivers.