Oakville to Launch Automated Speed Enforcement Program by End of January

By: Shazia Nazir, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Milton Reporter

The Town of Oakville is prioritizing road safety with the introduction of its Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) Program, which will launch at the end of January 2025. Crews began installing 14 ASE cameras this week, and setup and testing are expected to continue over the next several days.

Since August 2024, “Coming soon” signs have been displayed at camera locations to notify the community in advance. The ASE system works by capturing images of vehicles exceeding the speed limit in designated areas. These images, reviewed by provincial offences officers, result in tickets being mailed to the vehicle’s registered owner along with a copy of the captured image.

The ASE cameras will be installed in Oakville’s Community Safety Zones, which include roads near schools, daycare centres, active parks, hospitals, and senior residences.

“The cameras are placed in Community Safety Zones, which are sections of a road, designated by by-law, where public safety is of paramount concern,” explained Jill Stephen, Director of Transportation and Engineering.

“They could include roads near schools, daycare centres, active parks, hospitals, and senior citizen residences, and may also be used in collision-prone areas. There are currently 36 Community Safety Zones in Oakville. For the 14 ASE camera locations, the town ensures an equitable spread across all wards with two cameras in each ward,” she added.

To maintain effectiveness, the 14 cameras will rotate every four months to various roads within the Community Safety Zones where speeding is a persistent problem. Three months before the cameras are moved, “coming soon” signs will be posted at the new locations to give advance notice to residents.

ASE tickets, similar to parking infraction tickets, will not affect driving records or vehicle insurance. “The ASE ticket will be issued to the registered vehicle owner regardless of who is driving the vehicle at the time of infraction,” said Stephen.

“The cameras do not take any videos or record live, but are programmed only to take a picture of the licence plate if passing vehicles are travelling faster than the posted speed limit in that area.”

Stephen emphasized the program’s proven success in other municipalities. “Speed data and penalty ticket data collected through the ASE cameras will be reported to the Ministry of Transportation twice a year and also brought to the council during the annual review of the neighbourhood traffic safety program in early Fall. In other municipalities where ASE cameras exist, they are proven to effectively enforce speed limits, increase driver awareness, and decrease traffic-related injuries and fatalities,” she noted.

The town has also prioritized transparency and public awareness in implementing the program. “This program prioritizes transparency and public awareness. That is why 90 days before the cameras are moved to the next set of locations, the town will install ‘Municipal Speed Camera Coming Soon’ signs to give advance notification to the area residents. The list of upcoming locations will also be updated on the town’s website,” said Stephen.

By incorporating ASE cameras, Oakville aims to reduce speeding and enhance road safety while safeguarding privacy. Stephen assured residents that privacy is protected under provincial regulations. “The town takes data privacy seriously to keep our community safe. ASE cameras are legislated by the provincial O. Reg. 398/19 and O. Reg. 355/22. The camera design and programming is standardized across all municipalities that use them.”