Five new speed cameras installed in Waterloo Region despite criticism from Premier Ford

Premier Doug Ford’s stance on speed cameras hasn’t slowed down plans in Waterloo Region. CTV’s Heather Senoran shows us where the new cameras are.

The Region of Waterloo has no plan to slow down its speed camera program even as Ontario Premier Doug Ford criticizes the program.

Five new speed cameras were officially operating in Cambridge and Kitchener on Wednesday. The new cameras were added to the following school zones:

• Forest Heights Collegiate, Fisher-Hallman Road, Kitchener
• Forest Hill Public School, Westmount Road East, Kitchener
• Monsignor Doyle Catholic Secondary School/Cambridge Christian School, Myers Road, Cambridge
• Holy Spirit Catholic Elementary School/Moffat Creek Public School, Myers Road, Cambridge
• St. Gabriel Catholic Elementary School, Guelph Avenue, Cambridge

Six more cameras are set to be installed throughout the region in the next two weeks.

The latest additions to the region’s speed camera program come after Ford threatened to cancel the program throughout the province, saying he believes there are better ways to slow down drivers.

The province’s Transportation Minister previously indicated legislation could be tabled this fall.

“That is actually a really bad idea,” Jason Lilly, a Cambridge resident who lives near Myers Road said. “I don’t understand why anybody would want to take speed cameras away when it’s keeping the public safe.”

Not everyone shares Lilly’s view.

Someone had used black spray paint to write the word ‘No’ on a speed camera sign near Holy Spirit Catholic School.

People who live in the area said Myers Road is a hotspot for speeding, despite the 40 km/h limit.

“It’s tough to go 40 [km/h] but I’ve seen 140 [km/h] honestly,” resident Chris Ridderbusch said.

“We’ve had a couple of accidents here. My wife was out, watering our berm and there was an accident and she had to put a truck out with the hose,” he said.

The Region of Waterloo noted that since there has been no formal directive or legislative change from the province, the speed camera program will continue.

“Municipal speed cameras remain one of the tools in our toolbox that the region and our area municipal partners use to protect children and other vulnerable road users in school zones,” the region said, in part, in a statement to CTV News.

The speed camera program was expanded earlier this year after a successful pilot program.

According to the region, over two million incidents of speeding were captured by speed cameras between February 3 and July 31.

Nearly 56,000 tickets were issued as a result.

Earlier this month, the region released data suggesting that speed cameras are working.

Data collected by the region found 57 per cent of drivers were slowing down and adhering to the speed limit. In some school zones, that number was as high as 90 per cent.

The median ticket was $108.25 and 73 per cent of them were paid.