Ontario invests $210M in traffic calming measures to replace speed cameras

Ontario is committing $210 million dollars to implement traffic calming measures in school zones and other areas.

The Ontario government is investing $210 million to support increased road safety in school and community zones without using speed cameras, which aligns with what residents in the province want, according to a new poll.

The province made the funding announcement on Thursday, saying the money will be invested into the Road Safety Initiatives Fund (RSIF) to support increased road safety in school zones and community safety zones.

The measures to increase road safety would include traffic-calming 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 where municipal speed cameras were previously located.

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The new initiatives align with results from a new province-wide poll by Abacus Data also released on Thursday that found half of Ontarians (50 per cent) prefer traffic calming measures such as speed bumps, raised crosswalks, signage, roundabouts and increased police enforcement over automated speed cameras.

The poll found that one in three (33 per cent) expressed a preference for automated cameras, while 17 per cent said they are unsure.

The province said it would provide $42 million in immediate funding to support traffic-calming measures in school zones and community safety zones that previously had a speed camera. The amount for each city will be shared with them individually before cameras are turned off.

Early next year, eligible municipalities will be able to apply to the RSIF for the remainder of the funding and submit construction plans for traffic-calming infrastructure.

“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,” Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria said.

“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.”

In response to public concerns over the increased use of municipal speed cameras as a revenue-raising tool, the province said it’s “Building a More Competitive Economy Act,” which received Royal Assent on Nov. 3, prohibits the use of municipal speed cameras as of Friday.

These concerns were driven by a significant increase in the use of speed cameras by certain municipalities, with more than 700 cameras added since 2019, the province stated in the news release.

The province added that use of the cameras resulted in millions of dollars in fines, including a single camera in the City of Toronto that issued more than 65,000 tickets and took in nearly $7 million in fines prior to 2025.