Bringing ASE to Ontario

ASE is a proven tool to enforce speed limits, increase driver awareness and decrease pedestrian injury and death. Its anticipated implementation in Ontario is unique to the province and addresses a specific need to reduce speed in both school zones and community safety zones. 

This includes reviewing the successes and lessons learned by the many other jurisdictions in Canada and around the world that have successfully used ASE, such as Quebec, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, New York, Maryland, and more. For example:

  • ASE was implemented as a pilot in Saskatchewan from 2014 to 2017, which resulted in a reduction in overall speed in school zones (specifically in Saskatoon, Regina and Moose Jaw). Following the pilot, about 56 per cent of Saskatchewan residents surveyed in spring 2017 wanted the program to continue and 93 per cent of those who wanted it to continue, also wanted it to expand. An evaluation of the pilot overall also showed average vehicle speeds fell by up to 17 per cent and speed-related casualty collisions by 63 per cent, resulting in 51 per cent fewer injuries.

  • Quebec, in 2016, reported its speed enforcement program reduced average speeds by 13.3 km/h and reduced crashes by 15 to 42 per cent at ASE sites.

  • During New York City’s 140-camera pilot program (2014-2015), the presence of cameras reduced speeding by 63 per cent and pedestrian injuries by 23 per cent.

  • A 2016 study completed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), stated that the proportion of vehicles exceeding the speed limit by more than 10 mph in Arizona, Maryland and Washington D.C. declined by 70, 88 and 82 per cent, respectively, six to eight months following ASE implementation.

With speed a contributing factor in approximately one third of fatal collisions in Canada, Ontario is committed to building on the success of other ASE programs to ensure this anticipated new road safety measure will help to initiate a positive change in driver behaviour and improve the quality of life in our neighbourhoods.  

With that in mind, in 2017, Bill 65 – the Safer School Zones Act amended the Highway Traffic Act (the Act) to introduce the use of ASE in school zones and community safety zones across the province. With the most recent Ontario Road Safety Annual Report from the Ministry of Transportation showing that the number of people killed in Ontario in speed-related collisions increased by 13 per cent from 2015 to 2016, ASE truly is a reminder that we ALL need to slow down to keep our communities – and our children – safe.