Speed camera safety a concern for Woolwich residents and mayor

CTV’s Heather Senoran finds out why Woolwich Township councillors are asking the region to take another look at speed cameras in two areas.

Residents and council members in Woolwich Township are raising concerns about the speed cameras set to be installed near school zones, saying the speed limit change alone has already caused problems.

The topic was brought up for discussion at this week’s council meeting and two locations – Lobsinger Line near King Alfred Academy and Northfield Drive East just outside of Elmira – have been flagged as problem areas.

The Region of Waterloo has already installed speed cameras at Lobsinger Line, but they are not yet operational.

The speed limit in both areas goes from 80 km/h to 40 km/h. Some worry it is too abrupt of a speed limit change.

“We’re driving 40 km/h, nearing the speed camera, and somebody comes up, 80 plus km/h behind you. That’s not great,” explained Randy Spruyt, who lives near Lobsinger Line and was a delegate at Tuesday’s meeting.

He worries the abrupt speed limit change could lead to an increase in road rage incidents.

On Friday, CTV News cameras captured a truck honking aggressively at a small car in front of it as it slowed down to match the posted speed limit.

“Sometimes cars don’t have enough time to pass,” said Spruyt. “It’s really ugly.”

Council ultimately voted in favour of a motion from the ward’s councillor to lobby the region to remove the cameras and, instead, use other traffic calming measures.

“I know our neighbouring municipalities have got flashing lights going from 80 or 60-kilometre zones, but only during school hours,” said Coun. Eric Schwindt. “To me, intuitively, that makes more sense in rural situations like this.”

Some residents also wonder why the cameras would be operational at all times.

“If we’re going to run a camera 24/7, what’s the probability a student is being hit at 2 a.m. on a Wednesday?” asked Spruyt.

Mayor Sandy Shantz said she’s in favour of asking the region to consider other options.

“I think this is a good message to the region to say, “Look, you tried it. These are the issues that we’re having. We need to relook at this.’”

She said the cameras create a hazardous environment for some drivers.

“People are fearful of being rear-ended,” Shantz explained. “They’re fearful of front head-on collisions as people pass when someone slows down to obey the speed limit.”

She stressed that rural communities have rural needs, and said she intends to bring it up to regional council next month.

“I don’t think that we can paint every school zone with the same brush either,” Shantz added.

At the council meeting, some residents questioned if the speed cameras are just a cash grab as the region gets the revenue from speeding tickets.

“At such time when the program becomes revenue positive, any surplus revenue generated will be allocated into the Road Safety Reserve,” a spokesperson for the region said in a statement to CTV News. “These funds will be invested back into our communities for road safety initiatives across the region, such as roadway redesign, round-about pilot programs, township traffic calming initiatives and more.”

The region also said it will continue to have conversations with Woolwich Township about the speed cameras, adding that they recognize there are differences between urban, suburban and rural road safety needs.