Speed camera pilot launching in Paradise and Mount Pearl after years of planning
No tickets will be issued during pilot phase, but N.L. intends to expand program
Paradise and Mount Pearl will become the first towns in Newfoundland and Labrador to crack down on speeding drivers with the use of cameras.
The two northeast Avalon municipalities are the first to sign on to the province's pilot project, which has been several years in the making.
The cameras will be installed in multiple locations across Mount Pearl and Paradise by June 1.
"There's going to be signs alerting people there is a camera," said Sarah Stoodley, minister of digital government and Service N.L. "We're trying to reduce speeds. That is the ultimate goal. We're not trying to trick people."
No drivers will be ticketed during the pilot program. Instead, they'll be given a warning in the mail. The municipalities, along with the provincial government, will be collecting data from the pilot to help guide the eventual rollout of speed cameras across the province.
"As we build out more of a robust, automated system, we really need some of this data," Stoodley said. "So this is really the most efficient way for us to get that data."
Paradise Mayor Dan Bobbett said the cameras are welcomed technology in his town, where speeding is one of the top concerns he hears from residents.
Bobbett has been advocating for speed cameras since he was first elected mayor in 2013. He put forward a resolution at the Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador annual symposium asking the province to amend legislation to allow speed cameras to be installed provincewide.
He was far from alone.
The issue came up during provincial consultations on regulatory changes to automobile insurance in 2017 and 2018, with members of the public, the insurance industry and police asking the province to allow towns to install enforcement cameras.
Amendments were made to the Highway Traffic Act in the fall of 2019, but Stoodley said it took a long time to get to a place where they could begin installing cameras. The process involved multiple government departments, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, the RCMP and municipalities working together.
Move welcomed by Mount Pearl
The province's second-largest city is also enthused to be joining the pilot program, with hopes it will make residents safer in the immediate and longer term.
"I was elected 14 years ago, and I've heard it knocking on the doors in every election since," said Mayor Dave Aker.
"We've been reluctant to just continue to do things the old way. This is a great initiative using technology. It's innovative from the provincial perspective, but we see this all over the world."
Most provinces already use enforcement cameras for speeding, and major cities are raking in millions of dollars in revenue. Toronto made $34 million on 560,000 violations in the first two years of its program, which began in 2020. In Ottawa, the local government had to spend $2 million on a new processing centre just to handle the fines it was sending out from the enforcement cameras.
Stoodley said the move is not about making money but slowing down drivers in problem areas.
"We know that speed cameras reduce speeds 30 to 50 per cent," she said. "They reduce accidents, serious injuries and save lives."
With files from Henrike Wilhelm