Speeding surges after Ontario cities remove traffic cameras

After the Canadian province of Ontario banned speed cameras last year, speeding in areas that removed them grew precipitously, reports David Zipper in Bloomberg CityLab.

"Officials in cities like Toronto, Ottawa and Guelph are reporting steep increases in drivers exceeding posted limits, often by more than 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) per hour," Zipper adds. In Ottawa, a road where cameras were removed saw speeding jump from 14% of vehicles to 80%. "In June, Toronto mayor Olivia Chow shared 'horrifying' data indicating that the share of vehicles traveling at least 11 kph over the speed limit more than quadrupled, growing from 2% to more than 8%."

These numbers should give pause to other officials in Canada and the United States who are considering banning speed cameras, Zipper notes. "If reckless driving reliably rises after the removal of speed safety cameras, the inverse will also be true: Installing the devices will consistently force lead-footed drivers to slow down."