City of Windsor staff are exploring automated speed enforcement cameras as a new traffic calming measure, according to one city councillor.
Ward 7’s Angelo Marignani said he’s expecting a report later this year, noting speed complaints remain a consistent top concern amongst residents in the city.
“It's a small portable device that can be placed anywhere in the city and it will automatically take a picture, a video, [of] the speed [and] the time of the offence. Then that is sent to a processing center for vetting, making sure that everything is correct and then a ticket is automatically sent to the individual who was breaking the law,” Marignani said.
Marignani explained other traffic calming tools such as middle lane flex signs are expected to be installed in places like Forest Glade and East Riverside in late summer or early fall.
But Marignani noted the automatic electronic speed radars can be placed wherever the need is greatest, “The advantage of the portable electronic speed radars is that they're moved from one concern area to the other concern areas so residents do not know where it's going to be. That alone, I think, will change behavior simply because if you don't know where it's going to be, you're going to be careful everywhere.”
Marignani said other Canadian cities have already deployed the devices and are seeing effective results.
“They've seen up to a 70 per cent reduction in speeding and traffic accidents and fatalities,” Marignani said. “Once drivers realize that by driving slow, especially in our neighbourhoods, it saves lives and that's the bottom line. We have to make our roads safer.”
Marignani continued, “Parents don’t feel confident letting their children out on the roads or going for a walk because they’re concerned about people who abuse the privilege of driving.”
“It’s important that we look at all options that are currently being used. This one is currently being used in Toronto, Calgary, all throughout Canada. Before it was not permitted but now it has been permitted and I believe it will be an effective measure in curbing that speeding concern,” he said. “That should be coming back to council soon. I would probably say early fall. And we're looking at, at this point in time, using them around school zones first and foremost, and just around areas that kids are out and about.”
Marignani said part of the speeding solution is in education and informing motorists that driving above the speed limit is unacceptable and has consequences.
“If you're going somewhere leave early, like, the majority of people who are speeding are speeding because they're late. So it's time management on their part. And you know that leads to careless driving and then that leads to accidents,” said Marignani. “We need people to really look at how they’re driving.”
Meantime, Marignani suggested residents with speeding or other traffic concerns to report them online through the Windsor police website.
“When you see an aggressive driver, you can file this complaint, and that complaint automatically goes to the sergeant that is responsible for dispatching officers throughout the city, and it’s the metric that they use, along with 311 and when the councillor calls as well, to step up the enforcement in the area,” he said.
