Despite Premier Doug Ford’s ongoing threats to remove municipalities' ability to deploy automated speed enforcement cameras, the City of Greater Sudbury is proceeding.
The city’s six cameras will become active at their new locations on Friday. These locations are:
- Main Street, Val Caron (between Trudeau Street and Anton Avenue)
- Bancroft Drive (between Kingsway and Belleview Avenue)
- Algonquin Road (between Regent Street and Trailridge Drive)
- Municipal Road 80, Guilletville (between Donaldson Crescent and Fleming Street)
- Garson Coniston Road (between Maki Street and Falconbridge Road)
- Howey Drive (between Downing and Somerset Streets)
This, after several weeks of Ford’s threats to remove the cameras, during which he has repeatedly dismissed them as a “cash grab” and inaccurately claimed they do not slow traffic.
As has been the case throughout Greater Sudbury’s deployment of automated speed enforcement cameras, the latest round of data concludes yet again that they have successfully slowed traffic.
The following is the data collected from May to August, during which a city media release notes that “speed cameras significantly reduce both the percentage of vehicles speeding and their operating speeds.”
Municipal Road 80, Hanmer (between Main Street and Yorkshire Drive) (Speed Limit: 60 km/h)
- Pre ASE (automated speed cameras): 51 per cent of vehicles were travelling more than 15 km/h over the limit, with an operating speed of 89 km/h.
- During ASE: Reduced to three per cent of vehicles travelling more than 15 km/h over the limit, with an operating speed of 68 km/h.
Kelly Lake Road (between Copper Street and Southview Drive) (Speed Limit: 40 km/h)
- Pre ASE: 12 per cent of vehicles were travelling more than 15 km/h over the limit, with an operating speed of 57 km/h.
- During ASE: Reduced to one per cent (0.7) of vehicles travelling more than 15 km/h over the limit, with an operating speed of 46 km/h.
Kalmo Road (between Main Street and Bodson Drive) (Speed Limit: 60 km/h)
- Pre ASE: 29 per cent of vehicles were travelling more than 15 km/h over the limit, with an operating speed of 86 km/h.
- During ASE: Reduced to nine per cent of vehicles travelling more than 15 km/h over the limit, with an operating speed of 57 km/h.
Notre Dame Avenue, Hanmer (between Linden Drive and Oscar Street) (Speed Limit: 40 km/h)
- Pre ASE: 49 per cent of vehicles were travelling more than 15 km/h over the limit, with an operating speed of 67 km/h.
- During ASE: Reduced to three per cent (3.5%) of vehicles travelling more than 15 km/h over the limit, with an operating speed of 54 km/h.
Barrydowne Road (between Lasalle and Lillian Boulevards) (Speed Limit: 50 km/h)
- Pre ASE: 48 per cent of vehicles were travelling more than 15 km/h over the limit, with an operating speed of 69 km/h.
- During ASE: Reduced to four per cent of vehicles travelling more than 15 km/h over the limit, with an operating speed of 59 km/h.
Falconbridge Road (between Donnelly Drive and Church Street) (Speed Limit: 60 km/h)
- Pre ASE: 55 per cent of vehicles were travelling more than 15 km/h over the limit, with an operating speed of 79 km/h.
- During ASE: Reduced to one per cent of vehicles travelling more than 15 km/h over the limit, with an operating speed of 62 km/h.
Data gathered at past locations has also shown that motorists speed up slightly after the cameras have been removed but maintain speeds slower than the pre-camera point in time, and that motorists also slow down upstream and downstream of cameras.
Despite having received a letter from more than 20 mayors across the province to tweak instead of scrap the speed cameras program, Ford recently reiterated his pledge to scrap them.
"We know speed cameras do not work," Ford inaccurately stated, according to The Canadian Press, reiterating his previously-stated opinion that they’re “cash grabs, pure and simple.”
Last month, Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh told Sudbury.com that the cameras are working for the city, noting that they’ve both been effective at slowing traffic and the revenue they bring in is earmarked for various traffic-calming efforts.
For more information on Greater Sudbury’s automated speed enforcement efforts, click here.