August 24, 2004
Do we really need Photo Radar?
Yesterday, Ontario's municipal leaders told Premier Dalton McGuinty they'd like him to reintroduce photo radar. Mr. McGuinty opened the door to redeploying cameras on Ontario highways a few moths ago, saying he would look into it if municipalities asked him to do so. Well now they have.
There is no question speeding is the rule rather than the exception on the province's highways - you only have to drive on one occasionally to know the speed of traffic is at least 10 km/h over the limit during non-peak periods. Over the weekend, the Ontario Provincial Police told the media they are catching more and more people who are traveling on highways at extreme speeds (over 150 km/h) and that speeding has become "socially acceptable."
Advocates of photo radar say speed kills and a return to road-side cameras will reduce the number of fatal accidents in the province. But while I agree with the principle that there needs to be more effective enforcement of the speed limit on provicial roads, I have significant reservations about photo radar.
Firstly, there is a fairly significant degree of unfairness to photo radar. If Jane speeds in Joe's car and gets caught by a camera, Joe gets a ticket in the mail. If Jane refuses to pay, then Joe is out-of-pocket for an offence he did not commit. If the government chooses to count the infractions toward license suspensions, then Joe is in even more trouble and if his insurance company finds out about it his rates will go up.
When the NDP introduced photo radar in Ontario in 1994, they got around this problem by not counting the tickets as infractions toward license suspension and reduced the effectiveness of the deterrent in the process. There was also confusion over whether photo radar tickets would impact people's insurance rates. All of this created a two-tired highway system - my second concern. Those who could afford the tickets and the possible insurance increases could speed while the rest of us were relegated to the speed limit.
In 1994, there was also a concerted effort to undermine photo radar - a citizen's revolt of sorts. Radio stations broadcast the locations of photo radar vans and people slowed as they approached only to speed up once they passed. Truckers radioed photo radar locations to their colleagues who helpfully slowed down traffic by driving in tandem across all the lanes of the highway. No measure is effective if the people are unwilling to submit to it.
Finally, I question the motivation for photo radar. Despite the protestations of its supporters that it will reduce highway deaths (despite evidence Ontario has the safest roads in North America), even Mr. McGuinty has said it is an "excellent revenue generator." This is certainly why municipalities are pushing for photo radar - they want more money from Queen's Park. If the goal is to get revenue, why not be forthright about it and start tolling more highways.
I suppose honesty is too much to expect from the McGuinty Liberals.
Posted by maxthecat at August 24, 2004 09:26 AM
http://www.maxsmewsings.com/mt/archives/2004/08/do_we_really_need_photo_radar.php