New Provincial government fund will help provide further road safety in local school, and community safety zones
By Gene Pereira, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
A local MPP says new funding for road measures provided by the provincial government is about making a real difference when it comes to safety, not just in the pocketbooks of those drivers in Markham and across Ontario.
After passing the Building A More Competitive Economy Act this fall, which included the ban on municipal speed cameras, the Ontario government announced it’s investing $210 million through the Road Safety Initiatives Fund (RSIF) to support further road safety in school zones and community safety zones, including those in Markham and Stouffville.
“This funding puts the focus back on real, effective safety solutions that prevent crashes and protect families,” said Logan Kanapathi, MPP for Markham-Thornhill. “I’m proud to support a plan that puts safety and community first.”
The province will immediately provide $42 million in support of traffic-calming measures in school zones and community safety zones. Eligible municipalities will then be invited to apply to the RSIF for the remainder of the money, while submitting construction plans for the infrastructure.
All municipalities that previously used municipal speed cameras are eligible to apply for the one-time funding.
“Under the leadership of Premier (Doug) Ford, our government is standing up for drivers by banning cash-grab speed cameras and supporting proven road safety measures that will make a real difference,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation. “Ontario has some of the safest roads in North America and our new Road Safety Initiatives Fund will build on this record by ensuring municipalities have the resources they need to implement proven traffic-calming measures without making life more expensive for drivers.”
Where municipal speed cameras were previously set up, they will be replaced with infrastructure like speed bumps, raised crosswalks, and roundabouts, as well as high-visibility signage and increased police enforcement in school zones and community safety zones.
The province says concerns over the municipal speed cameras were driven by an increase in the use of speed cameras by certain municipalities.
More than 700 cameras have been added since 2019. This, the province says, despite Ontario being ranked among the top five jurisdictions in North America for road safety over the last 25 years.
Ontario has the lowest fatality rates per 10,000 licensed drivers.
“As the MPP for Markham-Thornhill, I’m proud that our government is investing $210 million to improve safety in school zones and community safety zones – without relying on speed cameras that make life more expensive for drivers and taxpayers,” Kanapathi told the Markham Review.
“As a former city councillor and long-time advocate for school zone safety, I’ve worked to lower speeds and deliver real safety measures like speed bumps, raised intersections, clear markings, and prominent stop signs.”
The use of the cameras, said the province, had resulted in Ontario drivers being charged millions of dollars in fines. They point to one single camera in Toronto that issued more than 65,000 tickets to drivers, while racking in nearly $7 million in fines before this year.
While the ban is in effect, all tickets issued before November 14 are valid and must be paid or disputed.