With two speed camera locations still yet to go live and others potentially coming online in the fall, the county is already reaping significant rewards from its automated speed enforcement pilot.
“In terms of payments, we’ve received about $450,000 in revenue in the first month and a half of the program,” county treasurer Ken DeHart told Wellington County’s roads committee Tuesday.
The approximate figure, provided as part of DeHart’s financial report during the committee meeting, does not represent the total amount of tickets issued to date.
“On my end, I only see the revenues come in when they’re paid,” DeHart explained.
He said the amount quoted represents only the county’s share.
“The gross fine is much higher than that,” DeHart told EloraFergusToday.
Between Jan. 11 and Feb. 28, the gross fines paid amounted to $1,178,979, he said.
The county’s portion of that is $442,239, said DeHart.
“That’s the amount that we keep,” he said, noting that money comes to the county after other costs – which include a victim surcharge, and fees paid to the Ministry of Transportation – are paid.
At budget time, the county had estimated $1 million in revenue from the cameras for the entire year.
“We’re almost at half of what our budget is by the end of February,” DeHart said.
Based on information from other municipalities, he said the fines can be expected to taper off.
“The first three months, the numbers are really high, and then it slows down when people adjust their driving habits,” he said.
DeHart wouldn’t say what portion of the money goes to Global Traffic Group, saying it’s considered a “trade secret,” but said the company’s portion covers all costs associated with the joint processing centre that processes the tickets.
It should be noted, the company is not the same one that operates automated speed enforcement cameras within the city of Guelph.
Coun. Diane Ballantyne, who was present during Tuesday’s committee meeting, asked for a little more detail on the company, wondering if the money would remain in Canada.
Speaking about comments she had seen on social media, she said people seemed generally supportive of the cameras as a safety measure, but “there is some rising grumbling about where the money is also going.”
County engineer Don Kudo answered that Global Traffic Group is an Alberta-based company, and roads committee chair Coun. Gregg Davidson added, “they are 100 per cent Canadian.”
Currently, there are five speed cameras in operation, one each in Fergus, Aberfoyle, Palmerston, Mount Forest and Drayton. Cameras in Hillsburgh and Rockwood are expected to be live by the end of April.
Meanwhile, the committee approved a recommendation to review and investigate 10 additional automated speed enforcement locations and report back to the roads committee on implementation status.
The target implementation date for these 10 additional sites is September 2025.
“September was selected because that’s typically when OPP does enhanced enforcement at school zones,” Kudo told the committee.
In response to an inquiry from Coun. Michael Dehn, Kudo said Global Traffic has confirmed it can handle the additional cameras.
“The are more than willing to service what our needs are,” said Kudo.
An update on the current speed camera pilot provided by Kudo during the meeting offered a few statistics from the cameras.
According to his report, most of the speed infractions happen during the day, with 87 per cent occurring between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Evening hours between 5 p.m. and 12 a.m. accounted for 12 per cent, and only one per cent occurred between midnight and 7 a.m.
The report also discussed the merits of installing “oversized” signs to warn people of the speed cameras, suggesting the Aberfoyle site on Wellington Road 46 as the one where oversized signs would be most appropriate.
After asking about the costs of the signs, and being told the cost was “very minor,” Counc. Campbell Cork made a motion to add oversized signs at all locations.
“I’m starting to get jumpy about, where is that radar?” Corks said.
The committee supported the motion.