Drivers might need to make it a habit to slow down as they drive through Niagara-on-the-Lake.

There’s a new camera set up in Virgil near Crossroads Public School on Niagara Stone Road – and it’s being programmed to automatically catch and ticket speeders. 

It is one of four speed cameras Niagara Region is installing in community safety zones across the region to help keep people on the road safe.

Scott Fraser, the region’s associate director of transportation, said the camera is being tested to make sure it’s operating as intended.

It is not yet being used to enforce speed limits but is on track to start as of Jan. 8, 2024, he said in an email.

“The (automated speed enforcement) program is an important component of the region’s overall Vision Zero road safety initiative,” he said.

Vision Zero is a regional program that seeks to improve road safety and eliminate fatal accidents.

The region is in the process of collecting data on collisions and speeding infractions from before and after the camera was installed, Fraser said.

Those metrics will be useful in determining the success of the program.

“A truly successful program, in our eyes, would mean that no tickets were issued, because it would mean people had slowed down,” said regional spokesperson Janet Rose.

She told The Lake Report speed cameras like these effectively curbed speeds in other areas, including Durham and Hamilton.

The region will put up an “In Use” sign once the camera is active.