Notes from the City of Brantford Committee of the Whole, Operations meeting, which was held on Tuesday, October 1, 2024.
Red Light Camera Program Update
City of Brantford Council supported a staff recommendation to purchase four additional red light cameras to be set up throughout the city in order to enhance safety and improve overall red light compliance.
In March 2023, the City installed six red lights in the following locations, all of which were fully operational by May 2023:
1. Veterans Memorial Parkway at Blackburn Drive (westbound)
2. Clarence Street South at Icomm Drive / Greenwich Street (southbound)
3. Clarence Street at Dalhousie Street (westbound)
4. Wayne Gretzky Parkway at Henry Street (southbound)
5. Wayne Gretzky Parkway at Morton Avenue / Holiday Drive (southbound)
6. Market Street at Wellington Street (northbound)
According to a report prepared by City officials, the program generated around 3,700 tickets, an average of approximately 1.7 violations per camera per day, over a 12 month period from May 2023 to April 2024.
Based on the report’s data, staff is estimating that the four additional cameras could generate an approximate annual surplus of $267,000 for the City.
While the recommendation won’t receive its final approval until the Tuesday, October 29, 2024 Council meeting, the following locations are currently being proposed based on site suitability.
- Wayne Gretzky Parkway at Lynden Road
- Colborne Street at Puleston Street / Kiwanis Way
- Fairview Drive at West Street
- King George Road at Charing Cross Street
- Park Road North at Dunsdon Street
- King George Road at Dunsdon Street
- King George Road at Kent Road
- Fairview Drive at Baxter Street / Memorial Drive
- Conklin Road at Blackburn Drive
- Memorial Drive at Dunsdon Street
- Memorial Drive at North Park Street
- Brant Avenue at Richmond Street
- West Street at Galileo Boulevard
The locations are set to undergo further evaluation to determine their technical suitability for red light cameras. Restricted sightlines, road curvature, driveways, overhead obstructions, and narrow right-of-way are all factors that can disqualify an otherwise high-ranking location.
Automated Speed Enforcement
City of Brantford Council received a report and a recommendation from staff to implement automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras to help detect and capture images of vehicles exceeding posted speed limits in Brantford.
According to an evaluation completed by the TYLin consulting firm, it was determined that one mobile ASE camera, supplied by Jenoptik Smart Mobility Solutions, LLC, could be installed within each ward of the city.
Using the City of Barrie to formulate the ticketing and revenue assumptions, the consultant found that between the five cameras, approximately 110,000 violations (or 22,000 each) could be captured annually.
While the total annual cost to the City for participating in the ASE program is expected to be around $4,431,000, the report suggests that the program will cover those costs by generating an annual net surplus of $2 million. Any surplus generated by the ASE will then be added to the Road Safety Initiative Reserve fund.
Should the report receive final approval during the Tuesday, October 29 Council meeting, City staff will be authorized to enter into an agreement with the City of Brampton Joint Processing Centre for all automated enforcement processing under the administrative penalty system.
As well, staff will also be given the green light to use up to $50,000, provided by the Road Safety Initiative Reserve, to retain another consultant and begin developing a priority ranking of City roads for the installation of the ASE cameras. The ranking will take into consideration the roadway classification, vehicle speeds, collision history and area generators such as parks, schools and community centres.
In order to meet provincial implementation requirements, an educational campaign and advance notification signage must be installed at the first five locations, 90 calendar days in advance of operations, and currently staff are looking to start the ASE operations by the latter half of Q3 2025.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
