Speed, red light cameras motion passed by Vancouver council

A motion that aimed to bring in more red light and speed cameras to Vancouver passed at city council on Wednesday. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll be seeing the devices in use any time soon.

OneCity Councillor Christine Boyle brought the motion, dubbed Creating Safer Streets for People of All Ages with Intersection Safety Cameras, to council. She says intersections she considers dangerous are ones where ICBC data says there have been more than 100 crashes that have left someone hurt or dead in the last five years. There are also those near schools where there have been more than 50 crashes within the same timeframe.

The ABC majority on council heavily amended the motion, directing staff to identify high-risk intersections in the city where cameras would help prevent serious crashes.

ABC Councillor Lenny Zhou argues red light cameras actually increase the chance of injuries and rear-enders at intersections, citing this risk as one of the reasons staff need to take a closer look into the matter.

“The reason is simply because the driver may slam on the brakes to avoid a ticket, so it will increase the chance of a rear-end collision,” he said.

Zhou says, at intersections with red light cameras, crashes increased by 15 per cent, injuries increased by 24 per cent, and the number of crashes in one scenario increased by 38.1 per cent.

ABC Councillor Lisa Dominato says while she supports the motion, she feels more work needs to be done to refine it.

“There’s still work to do, and part of it is driver education and raising awareness to drivers,” she said, noting that people typically need to be more mindful when driving through busy neighbourhoods.

Boyle says she wasn’t happy with council’s decision to conduct further research before taking action.

She says she feels there is already enough research regarding injuries and deaths at these intersections to move forward, and that installing these cameras sooner rather than later would help keep people safe.

Boyle released a statement after the decision was made to make amends to her motion,

pointing a finger at Mayor Ken Sim for not “taking your safety seriously.”

“Today’s disappointing amendments by Councillor Montague to a road safety motion show that Mayor Sim and ABC refuse to take pedestrian safety and public safety seriously,” she stated.

“Every day, Vancouver sees 22 crashes causing injury or death. Safety cameras could have been a cost-effective, efficient, and evidence-based way to reduce this number — allowing Vancouverites to get home safe, whether or not they’re a driver. They could have prevented an ER visit every day, a life-altering injury every month, and a death every year.”

“Speed is a major safety issue in Vancouver,” Boyle told CityNews prior to the council meeting. “The crash, injury, and fatality numbers speak for themselves … eighteen crash-related fatalities a year is not acceptable to me.”

There are more than 40 of these cameras already installed in the city, which Boyle says generate millions of dollars in revenue. However, she doesn’t know how much installing over 100 new cameras would cost.

“I don’t have a dollar figure. I just know study after study has shown that they pay themselves off pretty quickly and it’s a very cost-effective intervention that has a huge public benefit.”

-With files from Hana Mae Nassar and Maria Vinca