In Context is an occasional NewmarketToday feature providing background and further explanation on ongoing issues impacting residents.
The Town of Newmarket is installing its first automated speed cameras in the community by September.
Fourteen speed cameras are coming into community safety zones to help reduce speeding within the town. The program is separate from York Region’s ongoing automated speed enforcement program on regional roads.
The municipality has worked on the initiative for more than a year to address one of the top complaints received from the public. Cameras will track speed and take photographs of passing vehicles moving over the posted speed limit, which will then be reviewed by Provincial Offences offers who can then issue a ticket to the owner of the vehicle. The penalties are strictly monetary, with no demerit points. The town says tickets are confidential and won't be shared to insurance companies
Rather than contract out a camera centre in Toronto — which York Region does — the town opted to maintain the entire program in-house. The municipality has yet to disclose the exact cost of the program but expects it will at least pay for itself through ticket revenues.
“The Town of Newmarket is confident that the cost to run the community safety camera program will be offset by the revenue generated, and any surplus will first be used toward other safe street programs which can include traffic calming and speed mitigation initiatives, bike lanes and intersection improvements, as well as other community initiatives,” the municipality’s legislative services department said.
The town has released a new interactive map highlighting the 14 locations where the cameras are set to be situated, chosen based on speed and collision data and proximity to vulnerable users, according to the town. In general, the Ontario Highway Traffic Act only permits automated speed enforcement in school zones and community safety zones, brought about through a 2017 change.
The proposed locations (not intersections) in Newmarket are:
- Ward 1: Stonehaven Avenue and Kingsmere Avenue
- Ward 2: Gorham Street and Srigley Street East
- Ward 3: Wayne Drive and Patterson Street
- Ward 4: Longford Drive and Bristol Road East
- Ward 5: Queen Street and William Roe Boulevard
- Ward 6: Savage Road and Clearmeadow Boulevard
- Ward 7: Woodspring East and Woodspring West
A map highlighting the different automated speed enforcement cameras coming to Newmarket. . Supplied photo/Town of Newmarket
The town said it has not yet chosen the exact locations for the cameras and have yet to install any, though they should be in place for the start of the school year. Each street on the list has a school on it or nearby.
The town plans to track the impact of the cameras in terms of average speeds and percentage of speeding drivers on its website.
The breakdown for speeding camera tickets is as follows:
- 1 to 19 kilometres per hour over the maximum speed limit, $5 per kilometre
- 20 to 29 kilometres per hour over the maximum speed limit, $7.50 per kilometre
- 30 to 39 kilometres per hour over the maximum speed limit, $12 per kilometre
- 50 kilometres per hour over the maximum speed limit, $19.50 per kilometre
There will also be an additional victim surcharge on the tickets, amounting to $35, and a licence plate search fee amounting to $8.25.
Public opinion on the program has been mixed, with a NewmarketToday poll being split down the middle. Mayor John Taylor said town polling has found similar results, though he added that most people are receptive to the idea of addressing speeding in school zones, independent of automated speed enforcement.
York Region program
York Region piloted an automated speed camera (ASE) program from 2021 to 2023.
The first Newmarket street tested was Mulock Drive across from Newmarket High School. In four months, the camera led to more than 6,000 tickets being issued, with a value of more than $600,000. The region said average speeds went down by about 10 kilometres per hour while cameras were active.
Regional pilot data showed that only 22 per cent of drivers were speed limit compliant in enforced areas before the speed cameras, going up to 50 per cent with cameras.
“More frequent use of ASE will help condition motorists to maintain lower operating speeds,” regional staff said in a 2022 report.
Regional council approved expanding the program, with 60 fixed automated speed enforcement cameras coming between 2024 and 2026. One of the locations will be on Bathurst Street in Newmarket, expected sometime next year. Another camera will be installed on Mulock outside of Newmarket High School, permanently by the end of 2024.
Other jurisdictions across Canada have also implemented automated speed enforcement in recent years. According to the Ontario Traffic Council, Saskatchewan saw speeds fall by 17 per cent in school zones when it first piloted the program from 2014 to 2017. In Quebec in 2016, the speed enforcement program reduced average speeds by 13.3 km/h in selected ASE sites.
Other nearby communities have also started automated speed enforcement, with Bradford installing in May, The likes of Toronto, Brampton, Niagara Region and more are all planning to expand their allotment of speeding cameras in the years ahead. The City of Toronto plans to double its speed cameras from 75 to 150 by 2026.
