Starting July 6th, a vehicle caught doing 1km/hr over the speed limit can be issued a ticket. 50 cameras will be set up in Toronto school zones starting next Monday ready to enforce school zone speeds.
Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) is an automated 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 focused on changing driver behaviour in a hope to decrease speeding in a school zone
These images are then reviewed by Provincial Offence Officers. If the officers can verify the data, then tickets are issued to the owner of the vehicle regardless of who was driving. This means that if you loan your car out to a friend and they get caught speeding in a school zone, you are on the hook for the fine. Interestingly enough, the only penalty is a fine. No demerit points will hit your record and the registered owners driving record will not be impacted at all.
Locations have selected through years of data research that considers speed and collision data. ASE systems will be placed in Community Safety Zones near schools. Here is a list of the locations.
Signs will be posted advising motorists when they are in one of these Community Safety Zones with an ASE system. The fines will be based how fast over the limit you are driving. Here is the break down:
I think this is a great move for the city of Toronto providing this is kept to school zones. Some may view this to be too harsh. Receiving a ticket for 1km/hr over the limit does seem a bit extreme except for the fact that we are talking about school zones. There are enough places in our cities to drive at a decent rate of speed. These limits should be follow without compromise when it comes to child safety. It will be interesting to see the plan around car share programs as the driver is always different than the owner.
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