By Mike Anderson

According to the Town of Georgina, five speed cameras located in Community Safety Zones will be operational this spring.

“Coming Soon” signs, installed on January 10, provide a 90-day notice period to residents that the Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) cameras will begin issuing fines on April 10, a Town spokesperson told the Post.

“As a growing community, we are committed to improving road safety and making our neighbourhoods safer for our residents,” said Mayor Margaret Quirk in a media release.

“The goal of the automated speed enforcement cameras is to get drivers to slow down and obey the speed limit. The coming soon signs will serve to warn, remind and educate the public that the cameras are coming and are part of the Town’s Safe Streets Monitoring Program.”

According to the Highway Traffic Act, Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) can only be implemented by municipalities in Community Safety and School Zones.

Each of Georgina’s five wards will receive one speed camera, which can be rotated through its Community Safety Zones, wherever speeding is determined to be an issue — 85 percent of motorists travelling over the posted speed limit.

The initial five locations are: (Ward 1) Lowndes Ave near Tim Jacobs Dr; (Ward 2) Wexford Dr near Ladyburn Dr; (Ward 3) Church St west of Shoreline Pl; (Ward 4) Maple Ave approx. 550 m North of Black River Rd; (Ward 5) Station Rd approx. 240 m north of Old Homestead Rd.

(Ward 3) Church St west of Shoreline Place

The Town’s speed cameras will complement two existing York Region (ASE) cameras in School Zones at Baseline Rd, near Dalton Rd in Sutton, and Glenwoods Ave between Lowndes Ave and John Dalimore Dr in Keswick.

The automated cameras track speed and take photographs of vehicles going above the posted speed limit.

The Town will issue tickets and mail them to the registered licence plate holder on file with MTO.

The fine, an administrative penalty, is monetary; no demerit points will be issued.

The fines, calculated by the number of kms over the posted speed limit, are established by the Highway Traffic Act and cannot be changed by municipalities: 1 to 19 km/hr over the speed limit is a $5 per km; 20 to 29 km/hr is $7.50; 30 to 49 km/hr is $12; and 50 km/hr or more is $19.50.

For example, a motorist 23 km/hr over the posted speed limit of 40 km/hr will be fined ($7.50 per km) $172.50, plus a $35 victim component fee and a $8.25 license plate search fee. The total ticket is $215.75.

However, the Town would not confirm whether a fine would be issued for travelling just 1 or 2 km over the 40 km/hr posted speed limit.

“The Town is not able to disclose confidential information and must follow the regulation as it relates to the amount of a charge to assess,” the Town spokesperson said.

In addition, while municipalities can implement a warning period, that option has been waved in Georgina.

“Motorists have a 90-day period where they are made aware of the installation of speed cameras by specific signage at each of the locations where the speed cameras will be installed. Motorists will not be receiving a “no-penalty warning notice” if they are travelling above the posted speed limit where cameras are actively taking images of speeding vehicles,” the Town spokesperson said.

Motorists also won’t be able to dispute the ticket in court. Instead, they must go through the Town’s Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS), where they can appeal the ticket by requesting an online hearing from a hearing officer based in Newmarket.

However, the Town expects less than 5 per cent of tickets to be reviewed.

“Speed Camera programs do not generate a significant number of hearings or rebates due to the extensive image screening process that takes place internally prior to the issuance of tickets. Percentages below 5% can be anticipated; however, each program is unique based on the local motorist’s behaviour,” the Town spokesperson said.

For more information on the Town’s Safe Streets Monitoring Program, visit www.georgina.ca/safetycameras.

Mike Anderson
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