Ticketed and ticked off: Barrie speed cameras reduce speeders, but drivers aren't impressed
It's been over three months since the automated speed enforcement cameras in Barrie were installed, and so far, the city says they've seen a significant speed reduction.
"Driver speeds definitely when the cameras were in operation were definitely on average 12 or 13 kilometres an hour slower," says Michelle Banfield, City of Barrie development services executive director.
Cameras were initially set up in community safety zone locations at Big Bay Point Road and Anne Street.
On Big Bay Point Road, 58,258 violations were recorded on camera, and 4,563 tickets were issued.
On Anne Street, 35,674 violations were recorded on camera, and 4,677 tickets were issued.
The city has not disclosed the speed threshold for receiving a ticket.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
"We've always said that the actual threshold is never been something that we would publish in terms of, any more than a police officer would tell you how much they would stop someone for. So ultimately, the goal is to have people go as close to the speed limit as possible," says Banfield.
The speed cameras were moved to Essa Road and Ardagh Road at the end of February.
Not all drivers are happy with the program setup.
"There was absolutely no flashing lights to indicate to me that I was driving down Big Bay during school hours," says Stayner resident Sarah Bell.
Bell received a ticket in the mail for $205. The ticket says she travelled 62/km an hour at 3:44 p.m. The school zone hours end at 3:45 p.m.
"I was within that last one minute or maybe even, who knows, 20 seconds before the cameras would turn off," says Bell.
Bell says she plans to fight the ticket and feels the signage is confusing.
"When you're driving down the road, for it to state at the school hours in the way that it does on so many different lines, it's impossible to actually read," Bell shares.
The city's website states that the flashing lights used to warn of a 40-kilometre-an-hour zone must be covered when the cameras are active, so a sign is used to show the different limits at different times.
The speed cameras will stay at their current locations on Essa Road and Ardagh Road until the end of April when the council will decide where to move them next.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than half of Canadians say freedom of speech is under threat, new poll suggests
A new poll suggests a majority of Canadians feel their right to freedom of speech is in danger.
NEW Kim Kardashian brand kids' sleepwear and more: Here are some recalls to watch out for
Here are the latest recalls Canadians should watch out for, according to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Maple Leafs down Bruins 2-1 to force Game 7
William Nylander scored twice and Joseph Woll made 22 saves as the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Thursday to force Game 7 in their first-round series.
Is your password 123456? Here's why you should make it stronger
With the sheer number of passwords needed today, it may come as no surprise that over 60 per cent of Canadians feel overwhelmed, and over a third reportedly forget their passwords monthly.
Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are officially divorced and single
Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are officially divorced and single.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
Jurors in Trump hush money trial hear recording of pivotal call on plan to buy affair story
Jurors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump heard a recording Thursday of him discussing with his then-lawyer and personal fixer a plan to purchase the silence of a Playboy model who has said she had an affair with the former president.
OPP's mandatory alcohol screening during traffic stops 'not acceptable': CCLA
A spike in impaired driving-related collisions has caused Ontario’s provincial police to begin enforcing mandatory alcohol screening (MAS) at all traffic stops in the Greater Toronto Area -- a move one civil rights group says is ‘not acceptable.’
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.