The next chapter of traffic calming measures has arrived in Waterloo region. Large signs and flashing lights have been installed in school zones and other areas where Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) cameras previously stood. The new additions come after the Ford government banned speed cameras late last year, calling them “cash grabs.” Instead of the cameras, the province launched a multi-million-dollar Road Safety Initiatives Fund that gave municipalities money to install other measures. The Region of Waterloo received $840,000. “There are new, bigger signs, there are flashing lights that will be going in as well,” said Colleen James, regional councillor and chair of the Sustainability, Infrastructure and Development Committee. “We’re also, at the region, implementing more speed bumps as well.” James said the region can ask for up to $6.9 million to implement the necessary resources. She also said the region is looking at applying for more funding in the future to introduce infrastructure that will aim to eliminate safety risks. However, not everyone believes the new signs are guaranteed to work. “We don’t have evidence to suggest that this is the appropriate intervention,” said Carrie Mitchell, an associate professor in planning at the University of Waterloo. “And now we essentially, across Ontario, are running a large-scale experiment in our community and safety zones.” Mitchell said she is hoping to study data collected by speed cameras across the province over a three-month period to determine what worked and what didn’t. “We know we have the evidence to make informed decisions about our roads,” she said. Speed cameras report On Nov. 14, ASE cameras stopped handing out tickets. However, some municipalities, including the Region of Waterloo, kept them up to track traffic and speed. The data collected was compiled into a report by regional staff, which found there were more than seven million speeding instances recorded between Feb. 3 and Nov. 13, 2025. During that period, 88,599 speeding tickets issued during the 2025 operating period. Of those, more than 80 per cent were one-time tickets, 16 per cent were issued to license plates that received two or three tickets, while two per cent were given to drivers with four tickets or more. The report also stated that, as of April 15, 80 per cent of tickets have been paid, while 16,000 unpaid tickets were transferred to the Ministry of Transportation’s Defaulted Fine Control Centre. The report also laid out the region’s plans for the next round of funding, with the goal of installing new infrastructure at 223 school zones across the region. The cameras were first introduced in 2021 as a way to improve safety in school zones. James confirmed the cameras were taken down in February after the Region ended its contract with a vendor.
