May 19, 2021
Nicole Martin
CAO/Clerk, Township of Amaranth 374028 6th Line
Amaranth, ON L9W 0M6
Dear Ms. Martin,
Thank you for your letter in support of the Town of Mono’s requests regarding increasing speeding fines and the use of Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE). The Minister of Transportation, the Honourable Caroline Mulroney, has asked that I respond on her behalf.
I wish to begin by noting that the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) recognizes that speeding and high-risk driving continue to be a challenge, and it has been our experience that there is no simple solution to this problem. The ministry uses a combination of strategies to combat excessive speed and high-risk behaviour, including strict rules and penalties, engineering initiatives, public education and support for Ontario’s police services.
With respect to the request related to increased speeding fines, please note that the ministry appreciates the challenges that speeding continues to pose on our roads. For this reason, the ministry consulted municipalities, including the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), on a series of proposals to address aggressive driving and speeding on January 18 and April 1, 2021. To this end, I am pleased to share that on April 26, 2021, the Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, 2021 was introduced. If passed, the Act will create tougher penalties for those who engage in unsafe and high-risk driving by:
Increasing roadside driver’s licence suspension and vehicle impoundment periods for drivers caught street racing/stunt driving;
Introducing escalating post-conviction driver’s licence suspensions for drivers convicted of street racing/stunt driving;
Creating a lower speed threshold for stunt driving charges on roads where the speed limit is less than 80 km/h;
Expanding stunt driving/street racing penalties to apply in locations other than on highways (such as in a parking lot); and,
• Introducing a requirement for drivers convicted of stunt driving/street racing, or careless driving causing bodily harm or death to complete a driver training course before their licence is reinstated.
MTO is also continuing to explore further deterrent measures to help reduce and prevent unsafe driving, including potential increases to speeding fines.
With respect to automated speed enforcement (ASE), as you are aware, in December 2019, the province implemented regulations under the Safer School Zone Act, 2017, to permit municipalities to deploy ASE systems. Since 2017, the ministry has worked closely with municipalities to develop an operational framework and regulatory regime that enables the responsible and transparent use of this technology.
As you are also aware, this framework allows municipalities to use camera technology to deter speeding, but only in designated school zones and community safety zones with limits under 80 km/h, where the risk of speed-related collisions, injuries and fatalities is greatest. Ultimately, the ministry expects that these devices will have a substantive impact on reducing speed and improving safety in municipalities.
The ministry’s decision to allow the implementation of ASE in school zones and community safety zones, rather than on highways, is based on the risk that speed poses to road users in these vulnerable municipal areas. Ministry data indicate more than two thirds of injuries and fatalities in speed-related collisions occur on municipal roads. As you can appreciate, school zones are of concern because of the concentrated presence of vulnerable road users, including young pedestrians and school children, who continue to be at risk. Community safety zones are areas of high risk that have been identified by municipalities and prescribed through bylaw. Community safety zones are commonly established in the proximity of community centres, schools, senior facilities and areas of highly vulnerable road user concentration.
I am pleased to also share that the ministry is proposing future supportive regulatory measures which would introduce an administrative monetary penalty (AMP) framework for vehicle-based offences including automated speed enforcement and red-light cameras. This framework will allow for more efficient sanctioning of these offences.
Please note that while MTO currently has no plans to expand the ASE program framework, we do regularly review our policies and practices to see if they are in keeping with current research findings and best practices worldwide. The comments and recommendations of concerned municipalities, such as yours, are invaluable as part of this process and we will certainly consider them as part of the policy review process.
Thank you again for your interest in road safety.
Sincerely.
Jessica Mahon
Team Leader
Transportation Safety Division Ministry of Transportation
cc: Town of Mono
Police Services Board Amaranth
lnsp. Terry Ward, Detachment Commander, Dufferin OPP