‘It’s horrifying,’ Speed camera ban sparks safety concerns from families of crash victims

A group of Ontario advocates who have lost loved ones in car accidents are warning of the dangers of removing speed cameras ahead of the province’s ban, which takes effect on Friday.

Municipalities across Ontario will be required to shut down their automated speed enforcement (ASE) programs under the government’s Building a More Competitive Economy Act, which prohibits the use of speed cameras starting Nov. 14.

As the date approaches, advocacy group Friends and Families for Safe Streets, made up of survivors and loved ones of people killed in crashes, is warning the move could put Ontarians at greater risk, and lead to more deaths on the road.

Jess Spieker, the group’s spokesperson, says removing speed cameras is a “guaranteed death sentence for someone.”

“These cameras are deployed on roads where, for various reasons, it’s often difficult to install things like speed bumps or roundabouts, such as major arterial roads and school zones,” she told Now Toronto.

Spieker says speed is the most critical factor in determining whether someone lives or dies in a crash, adding that the removal of speed cameras is especially concerning for cities like Toronto, where 99 per cent of cameras are located in school zones.

“It’s going to leave tens of thousands of children in those areas defenseless against speeding drivers, and that’s a really scary thought. The idea of a child being hurt or killed by a driver is every parent’s absolute worst nightmare,” she said.

The decision has long faced backlash from road safety advocates and parent groups concerned about protecting students in school zones.

Progress Toronto, an advocacy organization, launched an online petition calling on the government to reverse its decision. The petition has gathered more than 3,000 signatures, as of publication.

“The data shows that speed cameras slow down reckless drivers and save lives. Instead of making our roads safer, Ford is banning municipalities from using key tools needed for road safety,” said Saman Tabasinejad, Executive Director of Progress Toronto, in a statement to Now Toronto.

The Ford government, however, has repeatedly argued that speed cameras are “cash grabs” that make life more expensive for motorists.

On Thursday, the province announced a $210-million investment through the Road Safety Initiatives Fund (RSIF) to improve safety in school and community zones without relying on speed cameras.

According to the government, the RSIF will help municipalities install “proven road safety measures,” including speed bumps, raised crosswalks, roundabouts, high-visibility signage, and increased police enforcement.

The province also pledged $42 million in immediate funding to support traffic-calming projects in school and community safety zones where speed cameras are being removed.

On the other hand, Spieker says these initiatives will not replace the protection that speed cameras provide.

“To see our provincial government deliberately removing an effective road safety measure and replacing it with something that doesn’t work means that more people in this province are going to suffer like we already have,” she said. “It’s appalling. It’s horrifying.”