How Can Brampton Tackle Its Speeding Problem?
Published May 3, 2019 at 7:32 am
One of the major issues facing Brampton is speeding. Whether it’s stunt driving, street racing, or road rage, it’s not uncommon to see something dangerous on the road.
One of the major issues facing Brampton is speeding. Whether it’s stunt driving, street racing, or road rage, it’s not uncommon to see something dangerous on the road. So how can the city fix this issue?
Perhaps the introduction of more traffic cameras may be the answer.
Traffic cameras come in different styles, the most common being red light cameras. The majority of the cameras in Brampton are red light cameras.
Even though these cameras do encourage drivers to drive slower through intersections, they don’t actually record the speeds of these vehicles. Another factor is red light cameras are only placed at intersections, while the most dangerous speeding in the city happens in residential areas and school zones.
At a council meeting held on January 30, council members discussed different ideas to address the city’s speeding problem.
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At the meeting, the idea of introducing photo radars to the city was brought up. Photo radars are best described as automated speed enforcement cameras. Just like a police officer would use a handheld speed radar, the camera detects the speed of passing vehicles.
Any vehicles caught going over the limit have their licence plates photographed. The information is sent to a processing facility where tickets will be sent to the owner of the vehicle via the mail.
The difference between the camera and a police officer is that while an officer may pull over someone for speeding, the camera can take multiple photos of different vehicles at a time and automatically sends the information.
While more photo radars may be a good deterrent for speeding, as the risk of high fines may stop drivers from speeding, not everyone has warmed up to the idea.
Some believe that the fact takes so many pictures at a time, and bills each driver photographed, seems almost like a cash grab.
It’s hard to tell if the positives outweigh the negatives at this point in time as the council meeting decided to readdress the issue at a later date.
A good middle ground for everyone may be electronic speed indicator signs. You may often see these around school zones. These signs track oncoming vehicle speed and show the speed to the driver. They also flash when a driver is going far over the speed limit.
Sometimes drivers don’t realize they’re speeding, either because they don’t know the limit in the area or they just don’t realize how fast they’re going. These signs give them a chance to correct their speed without harsh punishment.
Other deterrents the city may explore are more speed bumps or signs in areas that lack them.
What do you think would be the best way to combat Brampton’s speeding problems?
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