Photo Radar Coming Back

[maxrpm]

The communist Provincial Liberals may bring it back....

From the Star - http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1074080603306&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
McGuinty: Photo radar may return
Mike Harris campaigned, and won, on promise to eliminate it in 1994


KEITH LESLIE
CANADIAN PRESS

Ontario’s Liberal government is considering bringing back photo radar to catch speeding drivers in an effort to raise revenues and eliminate the budget deficit.
Cabinet ministers were to discuss the idea of reinstating the controversial measure during a day-long cabinet meeting, Premier Dalton McGuinty said today.

“I’ve long been a supporter of photo radar,” McGuinty said on his way into the meeting. “It’s a revenue generator, absolutely.”

Photo radar was first introduced in Ontario in 1994 under the NDP government of former premier Bob Rae, but it was one of the first things to go when Mike Harris and his Conservatives were elected the following year.

High-tech cameras are mounted in unmarked vans that sit on the side of the highway, snapping photos of the licence plates of cars exceeding the speed limit.

Regardless of who was at the wheel, the car’s owner gets a copy of the photo in the mail, along with a hefty fine.

Since they were elected in October, McGuinty’s Liberals have been frantically casting about for ways to trim the provincial deficit, estimated to be more than $5.6 billion.


Consumer Services Minister Jim Watson has said he’s also looking at raising fees for everything from marriage licences and business permits to birth certificates.

Critics have long complained that photo radar, which remains in place in some Canadian provinces, including Alberta and Manitoba, is little more than another tax on motorists.

In British Columbia, Gordon Campbell’s Liberals scrapped photo radar in 2001.

Ontario’s opposition Tories and New Democrats have both accused the Liberals of misleading voters by not talking about photo radar, toll roads or higher user fees during last fall’s provincial election campaign.

“The premier’s done a complete reversal on photo radar,” said NDP house leader Peter Kormos. “He wasn’t a fan of it 12 years ago. All of a sudden now McGuinty embraces photo radar.”

Conservative critic Garfield Dunlop accused McGuinty of saying anything to voters in order to get elected.

“I think it’s fairly clear he’s misled Ontarians on a lot of different issues,” Dunlop said. “Photo radar, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did that as well.”

[Keith-02Accord]

Well at least it's only a fine, no points and no insurance increases!

But nothing but a revenue generator for them and they flat out admitted that.

Has nothing to do with road safety at all.

[haniforama]

Slower highway speeds - mean better gas mileage - means lower gas tax revenue - if only they knew :D

[de Jager]

Raise the speed limit, forget photo radar. Most people will drive a speed that they are comfortable with (a recent survay claims that to be around 130km/h). It's not the speed that kills, it's the difference between speeds.

So I would rather pay through the nose to drive at a speed I'm happier with and 100km/h is not it.

[Keith-02Accord]

A huge safety thing would be to enforce the left lane as a passing lane....if you are in the left lane and not passing, you should get a ticket....no matter what speed you are doing.

[gatherer]

ahhhh I might spot being really early to events if I have to slow down ....:p

well seriously now better gas milage from going slow is always a good thing

[Shaman]

I cruise 130km/h+ on back roads all summer long. Screw'm. I'll just remove the plate or obscure it. They'd have had a far better chance of collecting revenue from me than before, if they go ahead with it.

Yes, that could be me with truck, trailer and car on the back passing you in the left hand lane with obscured plates doing 150km/h. I look forward to it.

[haniforama]

I've got a spare flak jacket for you :D

[Rob]

I'd support photo radar if they would use it where it might actually make driving safer - like for catching people running red lights at intersections. I think it makes the highways more dangerous - remember everyone slamming on the brakes and frantically changing lanes when we spotted one of those blue vans? And wouldn't we feel safer if the cops were spending their time on something more productive?

[MitS]

Originally posted by Rob
I'd support photo radar if they would use it where it might actually make driving safer - like for catching people running red lights at intersections. I think it makes the highways more dangerous - remember everyone slamming on the brakes and frantically changing lanes when we spotted one of those blue vans? And wouldn't we feel safer if the cops were spending their time on something more productive?

Red light runners will still run the light. A ticket that comes in the mail will not save anyone's life. Some guy could be doing 200km/h, pass a photo radar fan, get clocked, then kill someone two miles down the road. This in no way makes our roads safer. It's just a taxation scam. Guess I'll just have to slow down or choose to pay the tax.

Meanwhile gun crime is going nuts in the city. This is a great use of police resources.

[Cliff96]

Originally posted by Rob
I'd support photo radar if they would use it where it might actually make driving safer - like for catching people running red lights at intersections. I think it makes the highways more dangerous - remember everyone slamming on the brakes and frantically changing lanes when we spotted one of those blue vans? And wouldn't we feel safer if the cops were spending their time on something more productive?

We do have some red light cameras in Mississauga/Brampton area that they rotate between intersections (mostly along Dixie rd). This is basically a summery from what my mind remembers from the Mississauga news/Toronto star article's I read over Christmas, since they both charge to see archived articles.

The number of fatal accidents has declined in the intersections with red light cameras, while the total number of accidents has increased over the two/(three?) year period since installing the cameras. So in summery fewer t-bone accidents (leading to death) and more rear-enders (leading to whiplash/soft tissue damage).

I agree with the red light cameras but I would like to see them with a twist (and real police enforcement). When you are caught at a monitored intersection, have a cop detain the offender for 15-30min in addition to the fine thus giving a real deterrent (time they were trying to make up) for not running the light, not just a bill in the mail (to the owner no less).

Now what I’d really like would be payment terminals in opp cruisers for the out of province drivers (if you drive the 401, you know what I mean) so they have to pay on the spot, this would be the best form of revenue generation.

Cliff

[AlienDNA]

Originally posted by MitS
Meanwhile gun crime is going nuts in the city. This is a great use of police resources.

Hmmmm, maybe we'll need a speeding car registry to go with that highly effective gun registry. Anyone with a car capable of exceeding the speed limit will have to register their car and keep it in a locked garage when they're not using it.:rolleyes:

If this comes to pass, I predict the price of used Geo Metros will skyrocket...

[haniforama]

Cruisers with dummies do more for reducing aggressive driving than a van on the side of the road.

I am COMPLETELY against photo radar for it's intended purpose. And in case you are wondering, anyone who has driving on the 400 series highways as a passenger in my car knows i don't drive more than 120 so it's not because i'm a speeder.

Presence - we need presence (even if it's fake) to make the roads safer. Whenever I drive to my buddies place in Royal Oak, Michigan, I see more troopers on the roads in a weekend than I see in a whole month here.

Commuters are creatures of habit. Over time, they realize that they CAN hog the left lane, they CAN cut anyone and everyone off, the CAN follow too closely, they CAN switch lanes without indicating, they CAN swerve across two lanes to make their exit and they CAN speed - all without getting caught.

Put a cruiser on the highway in a different spot everyday on that same drive and I can guarantee that those same drivers will think twice about pulling the stunts they do. The roads will be safer - GASP!!

Hanif

[RedRabbit Racer]

everyone be the first on the block to send in your letters to the premier and the minister of transport and let them know how some of the voters feel on this issue.