SUBJECT: Technology-Based Traffic Enforcement - eSCRIBE ...
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Page 1 of Report TS-01-19 SUBJECT: Technology-Based Traffic Enforcement TO: Planning and Development Committee FROM: Transportation Services Report Number: TS-01-19 Wards Affected: all File Numbers: 750-01 Date to Committee: March 5, 2019 Date to Council: March 25, 2019 Recommendation: Direct the Director of Transportation Services to complete a detailed assessment of intersections and report back with a business case for the implementation of Red Light Cameras including recommended intersections, program costs and an implementation plan by Q2 of 2020; and Direct the Director of Transportation Services to continue to participate in the Ontario Traffic Council Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) working group and report back as program details are available. Purpose: The purpose of this report is to provide Council with information regarding implementing Red Light Cameras at City of Burlington intersections and to also provide information to Council regarding Automated Speed Enforcement. The initiatives described in this report support the city’s strategic goal to be a Healthy and Greener City through the improvement of road safety. Background and Discussion: Red Light Cameras "Red light running" refers to the act of motorists driving into or through an intersection after the traffic signal indication for their direction has turned red. This driver behaviour
Page 2 of Report TS-01-19 can often contribute to an increased frequency and severity of collisions at signalized intersections. Red light cameras (RLC) were first introduced in Ontario in 2000 as an enforcement measure aimed at reducing instances of motorists running red lights and thus reducing occurances of angle type collisions. Research indicates RLC can reduce the frequency of angle collisions by 25% however, RLC can also result in an increase in the number of rear-end collisions by an estimated 15%. Angle collisions are more severe than rear- end collisions resulting in a net safety improvement and a positive overall safety cost benefit. Halton Region is one of 9 municipalities designated in Ontario to participate in the RLC program and have 17 red light cameras within its jurisdiction. Of these locations, the following 5 are within Burlington: Brant Street and North Service Road Guelph Line and Upper Middle Road Appleby Line and Mainway Guelph Line and Mountainside Drive/Davidson Court Guelph Line and South Service Road The succesfull operation of RLC at Halton Region intersections within Burlington is significant as, according to some studies, RLC can have a “spillover” effect which suggests the implementation of RLC at a select number of sites can influence behaviour at other signalized intersections without RLC installed. Program Feasibility and Site Selection Staff undertook a preliminary assessment of all signalized intersection within the city’s jurisdiction to determine the viability of RLC. Collision frequency, type and severity was taken into consideration to produce a comparison of actual collisions versus expected number of collisions, including the expected increase in rear end type collision frequency. The results of the analysis produced a priority ranking of intersections based on the expected reduction in overall collisions. Because the analysis looks at collisions occuring on all approaches to a specific intersection, further analysis is required to identify a single approach leg of the intersection best suited for a RLC. Research into best practices related to RLC implementation recommends the implementation of RLC when there is no other alternative to improving safety and that the first step should be to review the intersection operations to determine if there are simple engineering solutions which may be implemented to reduce red light running. As such, staff recommend undertaking a detailed safety review of the highest ranking intersections identified through the preliminary screening. The detailed safety review
Page 3 of Report TS-01-19
will involve performing on-site observations, reviewing signal timing and performing a
site assessment to determine the compatibility with RLC hardware at each specific
intersection. It is expected that this review will take staff approximately 12 months to
complete.
RLC Implementation Process
The red light camera program and related processes are well established in Ontario. All
RLC programs in participating municipalities are identical, from the equipment used
through to the processing of violations. This section outlines the processes required
should Council decide to direct staff to proceed with the implementation of RLC.
1) Council Approval of RLC Locations
The list of intersections being recommended for the implementation of RLC requires
approval of Council.
2) Highway Traffic Act Regulation Amendment
Individual intersections with red light cameras in operation are provided with unique
identification numbers within the Regulation. This regulation requires a request to
the Ministry of Transportation to amend the Regulation to include City of Burlington
locations.
3) Processing Agreements
Red light camera violation notices for the Ontario municipalities already in the
program are all processed by a joint processing centre operated by the City of
Toronto. The Joint Processing Centre Violations processes based on a cost
recovery (not for profit) model. As part of the implementation process, the City of
Burlington would need to confirm the City of Toronto has the capacity to process
violation notices prior to entering into an agreement.
4) Installation, Operation & Maintenance of the Red Light Cameras
The 7 Ontario municipalities already in the RLC program have an existing joint
contract with a vendor for the installation, operation and maintenance of every red
light camera in Ontario. The period of the existing contract with the vendor is 2017-
2021. It is possible to enter into a sole-source agreement with the vendor join the
program prior to the completion of the term in 2021 however, costs are higher to
reflect a shorter amortization period between start-up and the end of 2021. These
costs are shown in the financial section of this report.
5) Approval from Ministry of the Attorney General
The Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General is responsible to ensure the proper
procedures are followed for registering red light violations with the local courtPage 4 of Report TS-01-19
system. They also ensure all necessary preparations are made in terms of the
justice system for any court cases.
For Burlington to join the RLC program, approval of the Ministry of the Attorney
General is required in order to ensure the local court system is structured so that
red light camera violation notices and court requests can be properly managed.
6) Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO)
The City of Burlington would be required to sign a contractual agreement with the
Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) to proceed with the RLC program. This
agreement is for the provision of license plate ownership information to be supplied
to the processing centre.
Red Light Camera Program Costs and Revenue
The estimated cost to operate all components required for a red light camera program,
not including staff time, is approximately $50,000-60,000 per year, per location. This
estimated cost is based on the experiences of municipalities currently participating in
the RLC program. A detailed breakdown of costs will be provided to Council if/when
contract negotiations with the various agencies commence.
It should be noted that a significant expense will be related to the contract with the RLC
vendor. The exisiting contract between participating municipalities and the vendor is in
effect for a five year period from 2017 through 2021. The contract is structured such
that joining, or adding additional locations later in the contract period results in higher
annual costs to account for ammortization of equipment over the life of the contract.
With this in mind, there may be economical benefits for Burlington to join in 2022,
should Council direct staff to do so.
Fine Revenue
Red light running is an offence under the Highway Traffic Act of Ontario with a current
fine of $325, of which $60 is designated as the victim surcharge. This results in a net
revenue of $265 per red light violation being returned to the municipality to offset the
expenses incurred.
The revenue generated by RLC is a product of the number of violations captured by a
RLC at each location. Additional information regarding the number of anticipated
violations will be provided to Council as part of the proposed business case.
Other Resource Impacts
Any additional red light cameras within the City of Burlington will have staffing impacts
within the Transportation Services Department for the administration, monitoring and
public education of the program. These costs are dependent on the final list ofPage 5 of Report TS-01-19
candidate intersections and wiil be included in the business case for the consideration
of Council.
Automated Speed Enforcement
Automated speed enforcement (ASE) is a technology-based safety tool to address
speeding and to supplement traditional speed enforcement. On May 30, 2017, the
Province of Ontario passed Bill 65, the Safer School Zone Act. Bill 65 contains
legislation to permit municipalities to use ASE, also known as photo radar, to improve
traffic safety. The Bill allows municipalities to use Automated Speed Enforcement only
in designated Community Safety Zones and School Zones. Prior to ASE coming into
effect, the Province must enact regulations designating the equipment to be used and
setting out the evidence and procedure for ASE infractions.
The Ontario Traffic Council (OTC) has formed a working group consisting of
municipalities, the Ministry of Transportation Ontario and the Ministry of the Attorney
General to develop and cost-share in a consistent ASE program province-wide.
Burlington Transportation staff participate as part of this group. The tasks of the
working group include:
Establishing common operating principles for ASE across the province;
Creating location selection criteria, communication and official signage;
Selecting technology, including equipment and hardware (fixed and mobile
systems); and,
Developing a request for proposal for a joint processing centre for ASE, including
administration of infraction processing.
Locations for ASE
The Safer School Zone Act allows ASE to operate in Community Safety Zones and
School Zones. Further details about the use of Community Safety Zones and School
Zones in Burlington are provided in the following sections.
i) Community Safety Zones
Under the Highway Traffic Act, Council may, by by-law, designate a part of a road
under its jurisdiction as a community safety zone if, in the council’s opinion, public
safety is of special concern on that part of the road. There are currently 7
designated Community Safety Zones in Burlington, as follows:
Britannia Road between Walkers Line and Milburough Line
Maple Avenue between Hammond Street and Lakeshore Road
New Street between Wedgewood Drive and Rossmore Boulevard
No. 1 Side Road between Walkers Line and Milburough Line
Plains Road East between Joan Drive and Waterdown RoadPage 6 of Report TS-01-19
Walker’s Line between Ketelby Court and Dundas Street
Walker’s Line between New Street and Fairview Street
ii) School Zones
Under the Highway Traffic Act, Council may, under by by-law, designate a portion
of a road under its jurisdiction that adjoins the entrance to or exit from a school and
that is within 150 metres along the road in either direction beyond the limits of the
land used for the purposes of the school.
Burlington’s Traffic by-law does not use designated School Zones to establish
reduced speed limits in front of schools. Instead, the practice of reducing speed
limits in front of schools is governed by the City’s Speed Limit Policy with speed
limits established through the Rate of Speed schedule of the City’s Traffic By-law.
A review of the City’s existing community safety zones and use of designated school
zones in the context of ASE may be required. As the ASE regulations are developed,
staff will provide Council with follow-up reports taking these by-law changes into
consideration such that ASE can be successful, should Council choose to participate in
the ASE program when it is finalized.
Options considered
The options considered in the development of this report are primarily related to
Council’s desire to participate in the existing RLC program and the upcoming ASE
program. Not participating in one or both of these technology-based enforcement
initiatives is at the discretion of Council.
Financial Matters:
There are no immediate financial implications resulting from the recommendations in
this report. Staff are recommending reporting back to Council with the details of
operating and capital cost implications and will include them in future operating and
capital budget submissions.
Public Engagement Matters:
Public engagement is a significant part of any road safety initiative, especially when a
change in driver behaviour is required. Strategies for public engagement will bePage 7 of Report TS-01-19 developed for both the Red Light Camera program and automated speed enforcement programs, should Council direct staff to implement either one. Conclusion: With respect to the City’s participation in the Red Light Camera program, staff is recommending reporting back in Q2 of 2020 in order to provide time to conduct a detailed analysis of potential candidate sites and to collect the data required for a business case to inform Council’s decision. The operating parameters of the Automated Speed Enforcement program is being developed by a multi-jurisdictional working group, of which Burlington staff are participating on. Further staff reports will be provided to Council for consideration as the regulations for ASE are develped and program details are defined. Respectfully submitted, Jeff Black Manager of Traffic Operations and Signals (905) 335-7600 x7779 Report Approval: All reports are reviewed and/or approved by Department Director, Director of Finance and Director of Legal. Final approval is by the City Manager.
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