N.L.'s speed cameras will be generating tickets — not warnings — by end of summer, says minister
Sarah Stoodley says she hopes cameras will 'change the culture of driving' in N.L.
Newfoundland and Labrador's speed-camera program is moving from the test phase to the real thing.
Digital Government Minister Sarah Stoodley announced Monday that cameras that generate speeding tickets will be installed on Newfoundland and Labrador's roads by the end of the summer.
"We know that speed cameras reduce accidents. They reduce incidents, and so really we're trying to make people slow down. Because people are dying on our roadways, because people are dying too fast," Stoodley said Monday. "We really need to change the culture of driving in our province. We're hoping speed cameras is one way of doing that."
Stoodley's department launched a three-month pilot program last summer, installing cameras on roads in Mount Pearl and Paradise. The cameras caught more than 94,000 vehicles travelling at least 11 km/h over the speed limit, but warnings were handed out, rather than tickets.
Once the cameras are in place tickets will start at $200 for a person's first offence, and can run up to $1,900 depending on the speed. Stoodley said the tickets will be given to the registered owner of the vehicle captured on camera.
Stoodley said the government will issue a request for proposals for vendors to install and monitor road speed cameras, which will require changes to legislation to allow the issuing of electronic speeding tickets by a third party that installs, operates and maintains the cameras.
Tickets will be issued on paper for now, Stoodley said, but the province will move to issuing electronic tickets via email and the MyGovNL system.
Stoodley said the initial batch of 10 cameras should be installed by the end of the summer. The location of those cameras haven't been decided yet, she added, but will mostly be positioned on the Avalon Peninsula due to population density.
The cameras won't be permanently placed but will be moved among different locations. The province will also work with municipalities who might want cameras installed.
Stoodley said a cost for the plan hasn't been decided as the details for the request for proposals haven't been decided. She said the government believes the cameras will pay for themselves but added she'd be fine with taking a financial loss if it led to safer driving.
There are also plans to expand the use of cameras, like at red lights and on the arms of school bus stop signs, she said.
Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.
With files from Madison Ryan
