Photo radar nabs 2,000 speeders in London, so why were the cameras moved?

It was a busy first six weeks of operation for London’s new photo radar systems.

Between mid-January and the end of February a total of 2,059 speeding tickets were issued to the owners of vehicles caught exceeding the speed limit in two school zones.

The fastest speed recorded was more than double the posted limit of 40km/h.

F.D. Roosevelt P.S.

Second Street

• 1,558 tickets issued
• 89 km/h highest speed

Princess Elizabeth P.S.

Thompson Road

• 501 tickets issued
• 78km/h highest speed

City hall recently received the data from the company contracted to operate the automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras.

Jalal Saeed’s home on Thompson Road has a speed limit sign on the boulevard.

He says eventually traffic speeds dropped noticeably— until the city removed the camera last month.

“Since they were removed, drivers have noticed, and they have returned to a higher speed,” Saeed explains.

Speed camera in a school zone in London, Ont. on Friday, April 8, 2022. (Daryl Newcombe/CTV London)

Both ASE systems were moved to other school zones, however, Saeed believes the city should have left the empty camera box on his street as a decoy.

“Even just the box itself will deter the drivers who go fast on this road,” he tells CTV News.

In 2019, city council discussed an option to purchase multiple boxes and rotate a small number of cameras between locations.

Last year, city engineers recommended council delay implementation of photo radar, in part, because the province added strict signage rules to notify drivers when cameras are in use.

Instead, council forged ahead with the current pilot project that utilizes two less expensive mobile boxes.

Chair of the Civic Works Committee, Councillor Elizabeth Peloza believes the provincial signage rules would thwart the concept of periodically empty ‘decoy boxes’.

“If we moved the camera and left the box, we would have to take the sign away stating it’s in use, then we’d just have a random box that most people would likely ignore,” Peloza says.

The city is currently gathering data to determine if the temporary ASE installations will have ongoing impacts on traffic speeds after their removal.

Peloza adds that if the impact is just temporary, it may justify a future investment in more cameras.

“Two cameras for a city our size is not going to have the impact we want on traffic safety,” she says.

Automated Speed Enforcement cameras are currently stationed on Lawson Road and Baseline Road West.

Community safety zone and speed limit signs in London, Ont. on Friday, April 8 , 2022. (Daryl Newcombe/ CTV London)