Fewer photo radar tickets means safer streets, but leaner traffic safety budget, city says

The city issued 144,161fewer photo or laser radar tickets last year compared to 2016, according to the latest numbers from the city.

That's a drop ofabout 27 per cent.

City statistics show the number of photo radar tickets issued in 2016was 522,780. The number hasbeen dropping each year since, with 2017 at 458,508 tickets issuedandlast year's tally at 378,619.

"It's a positive story that we're seeing a reduction in overall number of tickets," said Gerry Shimko, executive director oftheOffice of Traffic Safety.

"The researchis pretty clear that over time, drivers will adjust accordingly and will change their behaviours in a more positive way, which contributes to greater community safety."

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Shimkoattributes the drop in the number of tickets in part todrivers getting the message about speeding.

"It's just a general, good behavioural change that we're seeing through education and enforcement," Shimko said.

He added thatno new photo enforcement vehicles were added to the city's fleet last year.

It's not the same story at intersections equipped with red light cameras, where138,298driverswere caught speedingin 2018, about threeper cent more than in2017.

More drivers were also nabbed for runningred lights in thoseintersections, 15,523 last yearup from13,793in 2017.

That jump is partly becausethe city addedseven new red light cameras, with more to be set uplater this year, Shimko said.

But fewer speeders overallmeans lessticket-generatedrevenuefor traffic safety programs,hesaid.

The city's data shows revenuefrom photo radar and intersection cameras generated almost $42 million in 2018, a drop from the $51.8million reported in 2016 and the $51.3 million collected in 2017.

City administration will present its planondealing withdecreasing photo radar revenue to city councillater this year.

Cost to revenue loss, Knack says

Coun. Andrew Knack said Wednesday he is pleased to hear that fewer people are speeding, but cautionedthere is a downside to the loss of revenue.

The city uses millions of dollars from photo radar tickets to fund traffic safety projects, like improved crosswalks, neighbourhood renewal andtraffic-calming measures.

"We haven't put it on our general property taxes," Knack said. "[We] as taxpayers haven't been paying for traffic safety; it's just been those who've been speeding,"

He said if photo radar revenues continue to drop, council will have to make up for it through other parts of the budget.

"As people are following those rules more consistently, we have to prepare we've still got traffic safety work to do in the city and we can't rely on that fund exclusively anymore."

Traffic-related fatalities

Despite the decrease in speeding infractions, the city is still far from itsgoal of zero traffic-related fatalities.

Vision Zeroisthe city's long-term goal to reach zero traffic-related major injuries and fatalities by 2032.

Last year, preliminary numbers show 20 people were killed in traffic-related fatalitiescompared to27 in 2017,according tonumbers provided by Shimko.

"Every one fatality that we hear about,always causes us consternation," he said. "Another family that has to go through that tragic loss is generally preventable."

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