R’s Desk: Another plea to reverse the Ford decision to ban speed cameras

This is an OPEN LETTER to Provincial Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy and Premier Dog Ford regarding the banning of speed cameras:

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OPEN LETTER

To: Peter Bethlenfalvy, MPP
Doug Ford—Premier

Dear Sirs,

Our community of Fairport Beach in Pickering has been fighting for the last 40 years trying to get some form of traffic calming device in our neighbourhood.

As far back as 1985, our Ratepayer Association has worked with the Durham Regional Police Service to do traffic surveys on the speed of vehicles on Oklahoma Drive. This arterial road serves three elementary schools within a kilometre of each other. Over the decades we would request radar spot checks.

Fast forward to 2018, and our local Councillor, Maurice Brenner, facilitated the installation of a “speed board,” and Fairport Beach Neighbourhood Association paid for half its cost, a first for Pickering. Then along came the discussions of “speed cameras” and all the legal formalities of advanced warning that they would be coming to Community Safety Zones and school zones. Oklahoma Dr. received the first one when they went into use in 2022. The City of Pickering was receiving the data off the “speed board” and it was working. Cars were slowing down to the posted 40kph limit. For those that don’t pay attention to the rules of the road after passing signs warning them of a “speed camera” ahead, “community safety zone” signage, a “speed board” that lights up your speed, and a “posted speed limit sign” before they pass the “speed camera”, what more can one say; pay up.

The message I get from Mr. Ford’s heavy hand, is safety of children coming and going from school is of no consequence. Even after years of peer-reviewed studies done all over the world that show that “speed cameras” are effective in bringing drivers into compliance with posted speed limits. We were led to believe that only his so-called “cash grab” speed cameras were being eliminated on main high-traffic streets, but apparently this is not so.

Now we are back to 1985, and here we are to believe this progressive government is benefiting all the citizens of Ontario. Leave our Community Safety Zones and school zones alone and give the ”speed cameras” back please. Common sense would tell you this is a proper solution to your “cash grab” dilemma.

Paul White
A concerned Pickering resident