In April 2021 City Council approved the adoption of the Vision Zero – The City of Brantford’s Road Safety Plan with the goal of reducing traffic-related deaths and injuries in our community to zero.
Consistent with the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan, and the City’s commitment to developing data-driven approaches to improving road safety, in May 2022 City staff implemented a pilot plan to assess the effectiveness of an Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) system that uses a camera and a speed measurement device to detect and capture images of vehicles travelling in excess of the posted speed limit.
ASE is designed to work in tandem with other established methods and strategies, including engineering measures, education initiatives and police enforcement. ASE is focused on altering driver behaviour to decrease speeding and increase public safety.
ASE was approved for usage by the Province of Ontario in 2019, and since that time, municipalities who have implemented ASE have seen a positive impact in reducing vehicle speeds within designated ASE operational Community Safety and School zones.
To measure the effectiveness, an ASE device was installed on Wayne Gretzky Parkway north of Henry Street as well as at Colborne Street east of Locks Road for two weeks at both locations. The project allowed City staff to observe operations of the technology and assess potential impacts on City services, which will assist in developing a future implementation plan.
The project ran at no cost to the City from May 2, 2022, through May 31, 2022 and within that timeframe demonstrated the following:
Wayne Gretzky Parkway (southbound direction)
- Posted Speed Limit – 70km/h
- Violation Statistics – 6,300 violations/week, (7.38% of total traffic volume)
- 85th Percentile Speed – 82km/h (prior to ASE installation), 76km/h (during ASE installation)
- Highest recorded speed- 131 km/h
Colborne St East (eastbound direction), east of Locks Road
- Posted Speed Limit – 50km/h
- Violation Statistics – 16,500 violations/week, (54.15% of total traffic volume)
- 85th Percentile Speed – 70km/h (prior to ASE installation), 68km/h (during ASE installation)
- Highest recorded speed- 128 km/h
Overall, speeds were reduced, though it is important to note that no speeding tickets were issued or processed as part of this pilot project. It is expected that the known consequences of speeding violations will further influence positive behaviour and compliance.
A comprehensive staff recommendation detailing how to implement ASE in the City of Brantford will be considered by City Council in 2023. The recommendation will also include an extensive education and public awareness campaign to run in advance of the program launch to ensure consequences of noncompliance are well known to drivers ahead of ASE implementation.
