'We have to move faster': Waterloo regional councillors want more automated speed enforcement sites
Waterloo regional council are looking to accelerate the creation of automated speed enforcement sites across the region.
At Tuesday’s meeting, regional staff presented a plan to double the number of automated speed enforcement sites in the region to 32 this year, but councillors wanted to see even more cameras added at a faster pace.
“This is moving too slow,” Coun. Rob Deutschmann told the meeting. “I hear the suggestion we’re going to 32 sites, but that’s not 32 cameras. The conversation seems to get conflated between sites and cameras. Thirty-two sites means we’re moving two cameras around to 32 sites. That’s not sufficient. That’s not safe for our community. We have to move faster on this.”
Staff said a new system to process the number of tickets that would be issued as a result of those cameras is needed to expand the program.
“The order of magnitude of getting to 32, basically a factor of two or three compared to today, is really capped by our capacity to process the number of offences,” commissioner for transportation services Mathieu Goetzke said. “I think what’s on the critical path first is that administrative processing system.”
Staff asked for the green light to explore a new case management system for penalties.
Currently, there are 16 sites at schools across the region.
Staff also want to look at potentially adding automated speed enforcement at all of the region’s schools, about 175 sites in total. That led to a discussion about how enforcement programs shouldn’t be limited to schools.
Some township councillors raised concerns about speeding in rural areas and specifically at entrances into towns.
Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe suggested the region should “be really aggressive” about tackling the issue.
“We need to move faster,” she said. “I could use more than 32 in Waterloo.”
Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic also asked if staff could look more closely at all options for processing penalties, saying automated speed enforcement can essentially be self-funding.
Goetzke noted the end goal is that speeding and therefore revenue from automated enforcement decreases.
“The ultimate hope is that we’re not going to get a lot of offences from it, so it will not be a self-sustaining program,” Goetzke said.
Council agreed to have staff bring back a “roadmap for a rapid implementation plan” of automated speed enforcement by the second quarter of 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.