St. Davids speed camera appears to be working
A parent of four children who attend St. Davids Public School says a speed camera that was recently put in operation at the site appears to be effective so far.
It is one of four speed cameras catching heavy-footed drivers in the region currently, along with ones in front of Greendale Elementary School in Niagara Falls, District School Board of Niagara Academy in St. Catharines, and Smithville District Christian High School in West Lincoln.
“People are slowing down and it’s definitely raising awareness that there’s a safety concern in that area,” said Adriana Vizzari, who is also a town councillor in Niagara-on-the-Lake and was recently appointed by her colleagues to sit on the Region's transportation strategy steering committee.
Her kids are in Grades 1, 3, 5, and 6 at the York Road school.
She said the camera is important because it keeps locals at or under the speed limit, as well as tourists who pass through that part of town.
The camera in front of St. Davids School on York Road between Queenston and Concession 3 roads has been functioning since early April.
The owner of The Junction coffee shop also told The Local she believes the speed camera helps slow traffic down as it approaches the intersection of Four Mile Creek Road and York Road.
The St. Davids camera will be in place until the end of June before cameras are relocated to four new locations for another three months, none of them slated to be in NOTL.
Previously, a speed camera was taking plate numbers in front of Crossroads Public School on Niagara Stone Road for three months starting Jan. 1, before the camera in St. Davids was activated. There were also three other spots in the region, all community safety zones near schools, where the cameras were operational.
Coun. Nick Ruller’s children attend Crossroads Public School, and although he doesn’t drop them off or pick them up all too often, he does drive along Niagara Stone Road multiple times a day, he said. Whether people are still driving at a lower speed even though the camera in front of the school is no longer there is something he said is possible. But the camera did make a difference when it was operational. “From my perspective, it has seemed to impact driver behaviour,” Ruller told the Local.
Speed cameras are overseen by the Region, but its purpose is something the municipality is approached about often, he said. “One of the regular things we hear from the community is concerns about road and traffic safety.”
The Region is also moving ahead with eight new speed cameras by 2026 with a cost of about $1.9 million.
Scott Fraser, associate director of transportation planning for the Region, said information about the number of tickets that resulted from the Niagara Stone Road camera is not available.
But a report was shared with regional council in April about speed cameras that were in place last year between September and December, explaining that 15,668 tickets were given during that time, with an average fine of $124.57.
About 63 per cent of fines had been collected by the courts when reported, said Fraser.
“Information about the total tickets issued in 2024, including those locations in Niagara-on-the-Lake, will be included in future reports to regional council,” said Fraser in an emailed to The Local.
During a recent Region public works meeting, transportation director Frank Tassone said housing for cameras still stands at some locations where cameras are no longer in operation.
That is the case at Crossroads on Niagara Stone Road.
The Ontario provincial offences website says the fine for speeding from one to 19 km/h through a community safety zone is $5 per kilometre, and the amount goes up according to the excess speed. The fine will also include a victim surcharge, which is an amount based on the set fine, and a $5 court cost.
In March, the Region began installing 10 red-light cameras at various places, but none are in Niagara-on-the-Lake and there are no plans at the moment for one to go up in town, said Fraser, who also noted that “staff are in the early stages of collecting and monitoring data from the program,” and that information will be provided to regional council when it’s available.
Revenue generated by tickets are reinvested in road safety initiatives by the Region.
A parent of four children who attend St. Davids Public School says a speed camera that was recently put in operation at the site appears to be effective so far.
It is one of four speed cameras catching heavy-footed drivers in the region currently – along with ones in front of Greendale Elementary School in Niagara Falls, District School Board of Niagara Academy in St. Catharines, and Smithville District Christian High School in West Lincoln.
Nine of 10 red light cameras in the region are currently operational, says Region spokesperson Janet Rose.
Kris Dube, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Niagara-on-the-Lake Local
