SUBJECT:

Red Light Cameras Pilot Project – Extension Request

OBJET:

Projet pilote ayant trait aux dispositifs photographiques reliés aux feux rouges – Demande de prolongation

REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

That the Transportation and Transit Committee recommend that Council request the Government of Ontario, through the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario, to extend Bill 102 for an additional two years, until 20 November 2004.

RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT

Que le Comité des transports et des services de transport en commun recommande que le Conseil municipal demande au gouvernement de l’Ontario, par l’entremise du ministère des Transports de l’Ontario, de proroger le projet de loi 102 pendant deux ans encore, jusqu’au 20 novembre 2004.

BACKGROUND

On 18 December 1998, the Red Light Cameras Pilot Projects Act, 1998, Bill 102, received Royal Assent. The Act amends the Highway Traffic Act to enable municipalities, for a period of two years, to use evidence obtained from red light cameras to issue violation notices.

The former Regional Council, at its meeting held on 24 May 2000, granted authority for City Officials to:

(1) Retain Lockheed Martin IMS Canada for the supply, installation, operation and maintenance of red light camera systems in the Region of Ottawa-Carleton (City of Ottawa);

(2) Execute an operational agreement with the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario, permitting the Region of Ottawa-Carleton (City of Ottawa) to become a designated red light camera pilot area and to obtain motor vehicle registration information necessary to lay charges; and,

(3) Enter into agreement with the City of Toronto Transportation and Works Department for the processing of red light enforcement notice of violations.

The agreement with the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario, requires the City of Ottawa and participating municipalities to:

(a) Conduct a comprehensive statistical evaluation study of the Red Light Cameras Pilot Project to assess the combined benefits that stepped-up police enforcement and red light cameras have on the frequency of red light running.

(b) Reimburse the Province for its proportionate share of the Province’s costs for the Red Light Cameras Pilot Project.

Regional Council previously endorsed the use of this technology at its meetings of 27 March 1996 and 22 January 1997. In addition the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Police Services Board also passed motions on four separate occasions between September 1995 and June 1999 encouraging the Province of Ontario to enact legislation permitting the use of red light cameras in Ottawa-Carleton.

There are six municipalities in Ontario that have been designated by the Ministry of Transportation as red light camera pilot areas, namely, City of Ottawa, City of Hamilton, City of Toronto, Regional Municipality of Halton, Regional Municipality of Peel, and the Regional Municipality of Waterloo.

The Ministry of Transportation has hired a consultant to conduct the before and after evaluation study. The evaluation study includes 58 sites in total throughout Ontario, with approximately equal numbers of red light camera sites, stepped-up police enforcement sites, and control sites. Before and after data collected and analysed for the evaluation study will include collision frequencies, traffic volumes and red light violations. Data relevant to other violations will be collected at the stepped-up police enforcement sites. Annual totals of red light running convictions within the court districts of the participating municipalities will also be obtained.

DISCUSSION

On 20 November 2000, Bill 102 was proclaimed by the Lieutenant Governor, starting the two-year operation period for red light cameras. The City of Ottawa and the participating municipalities also began operation of red light cameras on 20 November 2000. The authority to operate red light cameras will expire on 20 November 2002.

The Red Light Cameras Pilot Project includes 18 red light cameras, which are routinely rotated among 68 sites within the six participating municipalities.

The before and after evaluation study includes data collected from 19 red light camera sites and 17 stepped-up police enforcement sites located within the six participating municipalities. The before and after evaluation study also includes 22 control sites, 12 of which are located within thesix participating municipalities and an additional 10 which are located within the Cities of London and Windsor, Ontario. The distribution of red light cameras, camera sites, police enforcement and control sites are listed in the table below.

Red Light Camera and Evaluation Site Distribution

Red Light Camera Distribution			Before and After Evaluation Study (1)
Municipality	# of Red Light Cameras	# of Camera Sites	# of Camera Sites	# of Police Enforcement Sites	# of Control Sites (2)
Ottawa	2	8	5	2	0
Hamilton	2	8	1	2	2
Toronto	10	38	7	4	6
Halton	1	4	3	3	4
Peel	2	6	2	5	0
Waterloo	1	4	1	1	0
London	0	0	0	0	6
Windsor	0	0	0	0	4
Total	18	68	19	17	22

Notes:

¹ Data used in the before and after evaluation study are collected manually over an 8-hour period.

²Control Sites have similar collision frequency, traffic volumes and traffic signal operations to red light camera sites. Control sites are not treated with either red light cameras or stepped-up police enforcement. The purpose of control sites is to provide a contrast of the frequency of red light running compared to sites treated with either red light cameras or stepped-up police enforcement.

In the first year of operation, approximately 21,800 violation notices were issued Province-wide for red light running at red light camera sites. Approximately 4,550 of the violation notices issued were at red light camera sites in the City of Ottawa. The number of monthly charges laid for red light running at red light camera intersections in the City of Ottawa and for all six participating municipalities is listed in Annex 1.

A status report on the Red Light Cameras Pilot Project was presented at the 22 October 2001 Ottawa Police Services Board meeting. A copy is attached as Annex 2.

There are three reasons for recommending that the City of Ottawa request the Government of Ontario to extend the Red Light Cameras Pilot Project for an additional two years.

1. Initial results from the first year of operating the Red Light Camera Pilot Project show a reduction in the frequency of red light running at designated intersections;

2. There is strong public support for camera enforcement of red light running; and,

3. The extension would permit municipalities to continue operating red light cameras beyond 20 November 2002 while waiting for the Government of Ontario’s decision, expected in the Fall of 2003, regarding continuation of the project.

As part of the project, an independent comprehensive statistical evaluation is being undertaken. The preliminary results of the changes in red light running violations have just been compiled. The frequency of red light running has decreased at red light camera sites by more than 40 percent on average. At the same time the preliminary results indicate virtually no spillover effect in reduced violations to those intersections without cameras. At this time, staff consider these results very preliminary, but are quite encouraged by the findings about the cameras. The real measure of the benefit of the project is in safety improvements, which will be measured, in collision reduction. Collision data from the first full year of operation will be available in April/May 2002 and staff will report to Council at that time. However, at least two (and preferably three) years of collision information is required to make a proper assessment of whether a change has really occurred. The collision analysis, for the two-year project, will be available in May 2003.

Public opinion studies conducted in Canada show that the public is strongly in favour of the use of red light cameras. An Environics poll, conducted in early 2001, interviewed more than 2,000 Canadian adults. The poll results are accurate within 2 percent at the 95 percent level of confidence. The poll results indicate that Canadians were informed that electronic enforcement involves using cameras instead of police to identify vehicles that run red lights. When asked whether they support various forms of electronic traffic enforcement, Canadians express high levels of support for the use of electronic traffic enforcement techniques, such as red light cameras. Seventy nine percent of Canadians support the use of cameras to identify vehicles that go through intersections after the traffic control signal has turned red.

As well as being supported by the public, extension of the Red Light Camera Pilot Project would be consistent with the Minutes of the Government of Ontario and with our City Council. A statement issued by the Government of Ontario in August 2001, indicates that addressing the issue of aggressive and unsafe driving and promotion of safe driving practices is a top priority of the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario. Previous endorsements by Regional Council for the implementation of red light cameras have also focused on the proven benefits of this technology in terms of improved road user safety.

Municipalities participating in the Red Light Cameras Pilot Project, as required by the Province, are conducting a comprehensive statistical evaluation of the effectiveness of the combined effect of police enforcement and red light cameras. The Province has indicated that the future of the red light camera legislation will depend upon the results presented in the final evaluation report. However the final evaluation report, summarizing the 2 years of the pilot project (November 2000 to November 2002) will only be complete in the summer of 2003 following receipt and analysis of all 2002 collision information. The final evaluation report will be delayed since all year 2002 collision data will not be available from the police until April/May 2003.

If the current pilot project is not extended beyond its current two-year period, authority to operate red light cameras will expire in November 2002. This would mean closing down red light camera operations to await the results of the review by the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario, of the final evaluation report. If the Province were to decide to support continued use of red light cameras, there would be a further waiting period until enabling legislation was enacted and proclaimed. A realistic timetable for these events is as follows:

Red Light Cameras PILOT Project Extension Timetable

Date	Event
20 November 2002	Current legislation expires. End of 2-year pilot.
June 2003	Final evaluation study report completed and submitted.
August 2003	Ministry of Transportation completes review.
September 2003	Government of Ontario decides future of red light camera legislation.
If the Government of Ontario decides in favour of red light camera continuation, municipalities may take the following steps:
October 2003	Municipalities commence procurement process for field equipment operations.
February 2004	New field services contract awarded by municipal councils.
June 2004	Field service operation and maintenance commence.

If no action is taken at this time with respect to project extension, the net result is an effective two- year “shut down” period of the cameras.

A two-year extension of the red light camera legislation, until November 2004, would allow the pilot project to continue without interruption, in the event that the Province determines, during the Fall of 2003, that the project should continue. A two-year extension would provide the Province sufficient time to enact the appropriate legislation and provide the City of Ottawa and other municipal partners sufficient time to evaluate and assess the before and after study results and procure services for red light camera field operations through a competitive tendering process.

Locations Collisions 1/1/00 to 30/9/00 1/1/01 to 30/9/01

Albert at Kent 10 12

Bronson at Carling 16 22

Carling at Richmond 23 13

Coventry at St. Laurent 8 8

Merivale at Meadowlands 35 27

St. Joseph at Jeanne D’Arc 1 1

Eagleson at Hazeldean 19 12

Heron at Riverside 30 31

Total 142 126

Although there are eight locations, only two are equipped with cameras at any one time. Each “set up” costs approximately $100,000. Intersections were selected on the basis of high incidence of collisions and red light violations.

From November 20^th, 2000 to August 31^st, 2001 - 3,126 charges have been laid by the City. Tickets are processed out of Toronto. There is currently no data available on court challenges. Anecdotal evidence provided by Chris Brinkman suggests that there has been no substantive defence presented to these charges.

As part of the Ottawa Police involvement with this initiative, police staff have conducted surveys at a number of other intersections as well. To date, surveys have been conducted at the intersections of Greenbank Road, Fallowfield Road, Robertson Road and at Moodie Drive. The results of these surveys are then forwarded to the Ministry of the Attorney General and to Synectics Transportation Consultants for analysis.

Further surveys are to be conducted this fall at the following intersections:

Carling at Kirkwood, Albert at Booth, Catherine at O’Connor, and Baseline at Woodroffe.

A “survey” consists of a team of officers enforcing red light infractions several hours a day for a ten day period.

This initiative is continuing and it is anticipated that City Transportation staff, who are leading this initiative, will be submitting reports as progress is made.

Vince Bevan

Chief of Police

November 2000	18	328
December 2000	43	723
January 2001	86	468
February 2001	49	587
March 2001	162	869
April 2001	283	1046
May 2001	571	1746
June 2001	696	2552
July 2001	649	3017
August 2001	569	3174
September 2001	413	2408
October 2001	639	2472
November 2001	373	2361
Total – to date	4,551	21,751

DATE:	October 16, 2001
TO:	Executive Director, Ottawa Police Services Board
FROM:	C hief of Police, Ottawa Police Service
SUBJECT:	Data on Red Light Cameras

RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT

BACKGROUND

DISCUSSION

Red Light Camera and Evaluation Site Distribution

Red Light Cameras PILOT Project Extension Timetable

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

ANNEX 1

Red Light Camera Activity – Charges Laid

Charges Laid -