- cross-posted to:
- ottawa@lemmy.ca
- cross-posted to:
- ottawa@lemmy.ca
cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/45991302
Ford calls speed cameras “nothing but a tax grab.” As do many reckless drivers. But surely he knows that speeding fines are not taxes. Even if they were, they’re voluntary: If you don’t want a speeding ticket, don’t speed.
…
In Ottawa, compliance with speed limits rose from from 16 per cent before speed cameras to 57 per cent after only three months, and to more than 80 per cent after three years. Instances of speeding at more than 15 km/h above the posted limit dropped from 14 per cent, pre-speed cameras, to less than one per cent after three years of the city using them.
A survey of more than 1,000 Ottawa residents, meanwhile, determined that of the 35 per cent of respondents who had been dinged with an speed camera fine, 69 per cent said it changed their driving behaviour. That’s what we want from these cameras.
And of course:
A study conducted by SickKids hospital in Toronto and published in July in the British Medical Journal’s Injury Prevention journal found that the use of speed cameras in school zones led to a 45 per cent reduction in speeding motorists, while the 85th percentile speed — the speed at or below which 85 per cent of the drivers travelled — dropped by almost 11 km/h. “The observed reduction in speed is likely important in reducing collisions and injuries,” the study noted
I do think highly of good road design, as some countries in Europe have shown, can reduce pedestrian and cyclist fatalities greatly. I think road design has a far greater impact than automatic radar signage.
Vehicles controlled by humans will always have to tend with the fact that humans make mistakes. One of the first things learned in drivers ed is that the ability to balance focus on multiple variables: signage, road conditions, other drivers, etc. . . is vital to the skill of driving. So, if people will make mistakes, maybe rarely or maybe often, I would put automatic radar signage somewhat low on the list of speed prevention measures, as it is employed often enough, but isn’t as strong as a deterrent as a fine for speeding.
A crime is a crime, and a crime unpunished will be repeated for lack thereof, because humans are imperfect. I do think the larger issue is the reliance on cars in Ontario, but that’s a larger issue, that Doug Ford will never address with any depth.