That the Safety and Facilities Services Committee recommend to City Council:
Whereas the Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals cite a direct correlation between the rate of speed of vehicles and the likelihood of collision occurrence, seriousness of injury and odds of a fatality; and,
Whereas researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children (“SickKids”) report that vehicle rate of speed and the increased likelihood of collision relates to a driver’s reduced field of vision, shorter reaction time and the stopping distance required once brakes are applied; and,
Whereas the Highway Traffic Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8 (“Highway Traffic Act”) is a provincial statute that regulates the licensing, standards, and penalties associated with the operation of vehicles on public highways within the Province of Ontario (“Province”); and,
Whereas Section 128 and Section 214 of the Highway Traffic Act enables municipalities to pass by-laws which establish and enforce the rate of speed of vehicles on public highways under their respective jurisdiction, including School Zones and Community Safety Zones; and,
Whereas the Traffic and Parking By-law 79-99, as amended (“Traffic and Parking By-law”) is a by-law to regulate traffic and parking on highways, in parking lots and parkades, on municipal property under the jurisdiction of the City of Oshawa (“City”) and on private property, and includes the regulation of the rate of speed of vehicles on City highways; and,
Whereas the Highway Traffic Act has been amended to enable municipalities that establish by-laws under Section 128 and Section 214 to implement Automated Speed Enforcement (A.S.E). systems to enforce the rate of speed of vehicles on public highways under their jurisdiction; and,
Whereas A.S.E. is a technological automated system that uses a camera and a speed measurement device to capture the rate of speed of vehicles in order to assist with enforcement in School Zones and Community Safety Zones to enhance road safety; and,
Whereas researchers at SickKids in partnership with the City of Toronto have conducted an evaluation on the effectiveness of A.S.E. in reducing the rate of speed of vehicles, and have reported a significant decrease in speeding offences indicating increased compliance and improved driver behaviour; and,
Whereas several municipalities, including the City of Toronto, the Regional Municipality of Durham, the City of Pickering and the Town of Ajax have implemented A.S.E. systems for the purposes of enforcing the rate of speed of vehicles in Community Safety Zones; and,
Whereas after preliminary research, Municipal Law Enforcement and Licensing Services, Community Support Services and Operations Services staff consider this an effective and efficient means of enforcing the rate of speed on City roads which warrants further investigation; and,
Whereas Council considers it appropriate to direct staff to continue investigating the potential implementation of A.S.E. systems within the City by City staff;
Therefore be it resolved that, pursuant to SF-23-35, Council direct staff to investigate and report back on the potential implementation of Automated Speed Enforcement systems and associated technologies within the City of Oshawa to enforce the rate of speed of vehicles on City roads.