“It never fails. Each day as I walk my grandchildren along the sidewalk, cars speed past, apparently ignoring the nearby school, playground and park. It isn’t because there are not enough signs. Indeed, a school zone sign is located on my front lawn. However, having learned that Automated Speed Enforcement is implemented in Durham Region, I am encouraged by the idea that those who ignore the speed limits, and don’t seem to care about child safety, will be hit in the wallet. My only hope is that they are hit hard enough that it has the right effect.”

“This is a great program! I live in a busy part of Mississauga, and our house is surrounded by three schools. There are always a lot of students and young children in the neighborhood, especially during school hours. I am hopeful this program will curb a lot of the dangerous drivers who zoom past without regard for people’s safety.”

“There has been significant public and media attention related to the issue of the use of Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) as part of the efforts of municipalities and police services to combat speeding. The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) has strongly supported the use of ASE tools as an important traffic safety measure, particularly through a 2021 resolution entitled Resolution 2021-01: Expansion of Automated Speed Enforcement and Revenue.

ASE is proven to reduce speeding, change driver behaviour, and make our roads safer for everyone—drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and especially children and other vulnerable road users. The use of these tools is controlled by municipalities and deployed in areas of the community, such as school zones and community safety zones, where slowing down saves lives and prevents serious injuries.

The OACP has clearly indicated that Ontario’s police leaders view ASE not as a revenue tool, but as a traffic safety tool.”

“I am president of the West Lansing Homeowners’ Association, which represents 1,100 homes in North York bounded by Sheppard Avenue to the North, Yonge Street to the East, the 401 to the South and the Don Valley Parkway to the West. Our community has experienced massive intensification, impacted by the 20,000 new residential units built in North York in the past 15 years or so. This has, in turn, resulted in drivers desperately looking for ways to get through the progressively worsening traffic in the Yonge/Sheppard/401 area. An increased demand for finding new thoroughfares means cars are racing through our residential streets as if they were main arterial roads. With two elementary schools located in a one-square-kilometer area, you can imagine how dangerous it is with cars travelling through these 40 km/h streets at speeds up to 70 km/h. Our members have been screaming to reduce the speed limits from 40 km/h to 30 km/h however these speeding drivers are ignoring the current 40 km/h speed limit. I am not sure what makes us think that they will slow down if the speed limit is reduced even further. The only thing that will change drivers’ habits is ENFORCEMENT.”

“I regularly take my daughter to a nearby park but often put her back in her stroller because I don’t feel she is safe around some of the drivers in our neighborhood. I live on a quiet street in Mississauga with more than one school nearby, and some drivers just carelessly disregard the school zone signs and drive recklessly through the neighborhood. I am so grateful Automated Speed Enforcement has come to Ontario, and I think it definitely enforces safety on our streets again!”

“Many municipalities have been running effective ASE programs for well over five years with public acceptance and data to support the effectiveness of its use. Your government has given municipalities an incredibly effective, fair, and transparent tool to change driver behaviour and save vulnerable road users lives. We urge you not to remove this tool.

The evidence is clear: lower speeds save lives. Speed is a factor in one in four road deaths in Canada. In Toronto, reducing limits from 40 to 30 km/h cut pedestrian collisions by 28 per cent and serious or fatal injuries by 67 per cent. A U.K. study found 30 km/h limits reduced fatal injuries by 63 per cent. These results cannot be achieved through education and awareness alone, but require strong policy and enforcement.”