Did someone tell him that speed limits are also regulated by legislation? Instead of changing the rule he dislikes, he removes the enforcement. I wish I could say it's surprising, but many people think like this.
(not discussing whether speed limits are good or not, just the thought process behind it)
The cynical part of me says it's probably because cameras grab everyone. Compared to human enforcement which can be... Subtly encouraged to only enforce the speed limit on the "right people"
It's interesting, isn't it? People are seemingly ok with laws, but they can get pretty squeamish about enforcement. But what's the point of a law without enforcement? An unenforced law is just a recommendation. I think to some that's what it means to live in a "free society," when laws are mere suggestions and following them is voluntary.
Doug and his followers are part of the Conservative Party. So the party of "law and order".... Except for laws regulating drivers.
I think it's a lot more politically tenable to starve enforcement than to change legislation, change signage, etc.
Enforcement needs to be part of a multifaceted approach. Designing streets to match their speed limits is one of those facets. That means that the ever-popular 5-lane “stroad” shouldn’t exist, and certainly shouldn’t have direct access to schools, parking lots, and driveways, because it’s simply not workable to keep the speed limit to a reasonable 40kph when the design says 80. Just as one example. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds-v2-qyCc8
And this guy is still an idiot.
Ontario highway design standard require roads to be designed to a minimum of 20kph higher than the posted limit. Ontarians also always drive 15-20kph over the limit. Wild coincidence.
There is also no design speed lower than 60kph. So that school zone? It's designed for at least 60kph vehicle travel.
I'm a pretty avid activist in this space. When I lived in Montréal I would never speed on surface roads (highways are a different story). Now that I live in Kingston, I constantly find myself driving over the limit, and missing pedestrians that I shouldn't because of it. It's not like speeding has any advantage either, my average travel speed in Kingston is always 35-40kph thanks to all the lights (which are required becuase of the high speeds and excess lanes, allowing higher travel speeds, but necessitating more lights, which slow average speeds...)
Source for further reading? I'm also pretty invested in road design and I'd like to learn more about how it's done in Ontario.
Ontario Traffic Manuals (for signages)
Geometric design standards for Ontario highways (everything else)
There is also no design speed lower than 60kph.
But WHat AbOuT tHE fIRe DePaRtmENT
Roads should feel slow, while continuing to protect pedestrians and the Dutch have done a good job (they’re still implementing it though). Canada is supposed to be building millions of homes because housing shortage and at the same time hasn’t revisited any standards with a modern lens. Fuckin embarrassing!
Enforcement does not work as a method of traffic control. It is used to shore up gaps and failures in design.
Here in the United States speed cameras are awesome because the devices only gives tickets and are unable to Terry stop or regular stop vehicles for contraband searching
Love speed cameras
They are terrible for other reasons, such as being incredibly unreliable and used as a source of income.
Way better than the jackboots hassling you for their income and think the speed cameras cost less and charge less
Only travel with clear tubs now anyways with everything viewable but still especially these days anything can get pulled over
Had camping equipment in the vehicle and got pulled over on suspicion of being homeless before
Shit is real down here y'all must have nicer enforcers
They don't replace cops with speed cameras, the speed cameras are in addition to the jackboot thug behavior.
Well, in a lot of Ontario, we don't really have traffic enforcement. People vandalize these cameras, and then we lose virtually all traffic enforcement.
pulled over on suspicion of being homeless
What even os this, Is it a crime to be homeless?
In the US it is effectively illegal by making sleeping somewhere other than a building for 'too long' a crime. Sleeping on the street, and even sleeping at campgrounds for too many days is criminalized. Homeless encampments are destroyed and possessions lost, which is the equivalent of a fine in practice.
In my experience, they work for what they’re intended—to keep traffic at, or close to, the posted speed limit. A 3 mile stretch that I drive regularly has two cameras. It’s a straight stretch that people would fly down before the cameras. Now, people noticeably stay close to the limit.
He really is a particularly stupid kind of person...
For context, Doug Ford has also been waging a war against bike lanes that are actively being used by cyclists.
There are problems with the speed cameras in certain areas of Ontario (stemming from problems with our road design), but Doug Ford is definitely doing this as a pro-driver move.
Which is why Ontario keeps voting him into a majority government...
There are 3 big factors against speed cameras:
He needs to get rid of them so that he can smoke crack while he drives without consequence.
SOUNDS LIKE THEY'RE WORKING, TO ME!
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