Photo Radar In Ontario?

Anything that gets people to slow down and makes our streets safer is good in my opinion.<p> <p>---<br>"If you must kill a man, it costs you nothing to be polite about it." Winston Churchill <br />

Agreed. Mike Harris cancelled it in 1995 despite widespread support for it from the public. He was very ideological, but it was saving lives....we are also getting permanent red-light cameras in Toronto to be rotated around the city, and I'm happy about that....it's not too invasive, because they only turn on when the light turns red.....you deserve to lose your privacy if you run red-lights IMO.

Yup. In Edmonton, there are a few dual purpose cameras at intersections. Red light & photo radar - they do both.<p> Cops have seen no real decline in the number of fatalities, so they are getting sneaky - any City owned vehicle, from a lawnmower to a Bus can be a photo radar vehicle. There will be no hiding! And they are ramping up about 10 all purpose mobile photo radar units.<p><p>---<br>"If you must kill a man, it costs you nothing to be polite about it." Winston Churchill <br />

Sneaky, I love it.

Does not work.

They had that here in BC for years and it did little in my opinion. It certainly never slowed anyone down beyond the immediate vicinity of the cameras.

They are too easy to spot whether they are on stationary posts or in unmarked vans. After a few weeks drivers will be on to them in no time. Radio stations will alert drivers as to where they are as well.

Red light cameras are another matter - they do work. BC figured that out, we removed the cash grab photo radar and expanded the red light cameras.

So Ontario, B.C. and Alberta are al doing different things at different times....shows how pathetically decentralized our country is.

<i>They are too easy to spot whether they are on stationary posts or in unmarked vans. After a few weeks drivers will be on to them in no time. Radio stations will alert drivers as to where they are as well.</i><p> But that is the point - police usually tell radio stations where they are set up. They don't want the money, they want you to slow down!<p> <a href='http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1092348632197&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154'>Another article</a>:"Then a report came out on what amounted to an 11-month experiment with photo radar by the OPP on the 400-series highways. It wasn't a cash cow. In those 11 months, 240,000 tickets were issued for fines totalling $16 million, far short of the annual $200 million predicted by the NDP. And the number of speeders dropped by 15 to 42 per cent, depending on the site. Highway fatalities dropped by 118 to 634, a 16 per cent decline." <p> And like here, if you don't know if that dump truck ahead has a photo radar camera or not, you'll slow down all the time!<p> <p>---<br>"If you must kill a man, it costs you nothing to be polite about it." Winston Churchill <br />

Just go back to the 70's when the oil crisis forced the US to introduce the 55 MPH speed limit.

The first thing that popped out was the reduction of collisions and fatalities.

IMO, all traffic should travel at the same speed. Anyone caught doing 60 Km/hr in an 80 zone should get a ticket, they are a danger to other drivers.

Many is the time I get behind these boneheads and the lineup gets longer and longer, until some short fuse decides to pass all 15 cars in the line, and you know the rest.

There are impatient drivers out there, and if everyone drove around the speed limit, we would see a reduction in accidents.

About photo radar, I think they should use the demerit point system, and place the responsibility on the owner, because they have the opportunity to say no if someone wants to borrow the car.

If they lose points, it affects their insurance, and how many times are you going to loan your car after that happens ??

I almost laid a charge against a young dude who passed me when a car was coming, the car coming toward us pulled onto the shoulder as did I; there were two cars involved, racing down the highway.

I wrote down the license number, went to the local police station, told them what happened, and they looked up the registration.

It was DADDY's CAR !! I knew that, because it had a cell phone antenna, and the young dude was maybe 18.

The cops called the owner, and he was livid, so the cops asked me if I wanted to lay the charge, or let dad fix the situation.

I let it go on the cop's advice.

I don't care if the cops hide in the bushes, I won't get busted because I don't speed, but those that do 140 and 160 Km/hr on the highways should get busted, regularly.

I travel at 10Km/hr over the limit, and the cops don't bother with you, they are after the jerks !!



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"Arrogance in Politics is unacceptable"
Jim Callaghan
Minden, Ontario
705-286-1860
www.misterc.ca

HAZEL MCCALLION AND MARILYN CHURLEY BETTER THINK TWICE ABOUT PROMOTING THE USE OF PHOTO RADAR. SEVERAL YEARS BACK
STELLA ZIFF RAN FOR MAYOR IN FORT ERIE AND SHE LOST THE ELECTION FOR SUGGESTING THAT.

I could support the idea as long as they moved the speed limit up to a more sensible 120 km/h. They should also enforce the passing lane rules, not only is it annoying, but it's also dangerous.

You missed my whole point: the proof is that Lower speeds create a safer situation, and the stats prove it.

Less collisions, less injuries and less fatalities.

I do agree, that the passing lane lawbreakers should be busted Big Time ! They block up the highway and force drivers to pass on the right.



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"Arrogance in Politics is unacceptable"
Jim Callaghan
Minden, Ontario
705-286-1860
www.misterc.ca

Not neccessarily true. When dozens of US states increased the maximum speeds allowable on their major highways there was no increase in traffic accidents or deaths.

It was true in the 70's. What's changed since then ? Surely the tin cans we drive today with their "crumple zones" are not safer to drive, although air bags are a major contributor to survival in a head-on collision with two vehicles of the same mass.

Throw in a dump truck and a compact car, and kiss your air bag goodbye.


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"Arrogance in Politics is unacceptable"
Jim Callaghan
Minden, Ontario
705-286-1860
www.misterc.ca

Sorry, I forgot to mention that, in my experience, the US highways are posted at 55 MPH inside built-up areas, and 65 MPH on the open highways.

That could have something to do with the lack of serious collisions these days.

55 is a safe speed, especially on the US style beltways. They are chaotic at the best of times.


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"Arrogance in Politics is unacceptable"
Jim Callaghan
Minden, Ontario
705-286-1860
www.misterc.ca