I HATE SPEED CAMERAS!!! They are mainly a cash grab for municipalities that continue to lie to us, insisting they are there for our safety. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be provincially legislated to be the safety tool they claim to be. Speeding is a problem, but when it comes down to a choice between revenue-neutral speed cameras and traffic calming infrastructure that will add to construction, more government debt, and needless wear and tear on our vehicles, a legislated speed camera is the clear choice.

Provincial legislation on the use of speed cameras should consist of the following:

• The threshold to trigger the camera should be more than 10 kph above the speed limit
• A clearly visible strobe light should go off when the camera is triggered, in a location so the driver of the speeding vehicle knows he is speeding, and has set it off
• A minimum of 2 speed camera warning signs, combined with standard-sized speed limit signs, should be posted before the camera. The camera should not be placed within 200 meters of the second warning sign so that a driver who didn’t notice the first sign still has time to slow down before the camera. (In the picture below of a speed camera warning sign, there is no speed limit sign in sight. Placing a speed limit sign next to the speed camera warning sign would give drivers clarity.)

Speed cameras have made me and everyone I know slow down. They do work, and with legislation governing their use, they can change from a cash grab to an effective safety tool that is fair to drivers.

Dave Lister

listerlogic.com