Ella Loewen’s expectations of what traffic safety in school zones stem from her life across the pond.
Loewen, whose son attends Crossroads Public School in Virgil, grew up in Germany and says her family’s experience there shaped what she believes school crosswalk safety should look like.
“I’ve seen how seriously school zone safety is taken there,” she said. “Drivers face strict fines, points, and even temporary driving bans for speeding.”
Here in Canada, however, she said she feels the speed camera that was posted in front of her child’s elementary school this summer felt more like a “revenue tool than a true safety measure.”
“While it may have raised awareness, we already pay high taxes here, and I believe much more can be done to genuinely protect children in school zones.”
Loewen said other measures could improve safety without relying on cameras.
She made these remarks in response to the province’s speed camera ban, which took effect Nov. 14. The ban has sparked division across Ontario, with some arguing for the cameras’ efficacy at slowing motorists down, while others, such as Premier Doug Ford, have said they succeeded more as a speeding ticket “cash grab.”
Before the ban, NOTL had cameras at Niagara Stone Road at Crossroads Public School and York Road near St. Davids School, which were installed as part of Niagara Region’s Vision Zero road safety program, which aims to reduce and eliminate collisions and deaths on regional roads.
Speed cameras were successful at reducing speeds and speeding violations, says the Niagara Region: speeds went down by nine kilometres per hour when they were fully enforced and speeding violations per hour went down 86 per cent.
Updated numbers for 2025 will be coming in the future, said Jason Misner, senior communications specialist at the region.
“We will be providing a future public report to council that will provide a summary of 2025 (automated speed enforcement) program results, including analysis of safety benefits and number of tickets issued.”
An Abacus poll conducted in October and published in November found that about half of Ontarians were like Loewen, who preferred alternatives to automated cameras, such as speed bumps, raised crosswalks, signage, roundabouts and increased police enforcement.
Thirty-three per cent supported the cameras, while 17 per cent were unsure.
Frustration about the cameras, when they were up, even led to vandalism, as the camera in front of Crossroads Public School was cut down from its post four times during the summer.
Some NOTL residents said the execution of the automated speed camera program was flawed.
“The way the town and region implemented the Crossroads safety zone was badly implemented,” said Timothy Collet, who lives in Virgil. “The main objective appeared to be: trap the drivers first, and protect the children second.”
“Caution us with flashing lights and signage that we are entering a ‘protected’ school zone where children may do spontaneous things which might put them in danger,” he said.
He said “practical measures,” such as enforced lower speed limits during school hours, flashing lights, increased police or community patrols at peak times, raised crosswalks, curb extensions, or pedestrian refuges, could make school zones safer, “without disrupting important traffic flow.”
But not all residents share that view.
Bob Woodley, who lives in Old Town, said he knows a family who lost a child in a school zone in Mississauga and believes the benefits of cameras outweigh any drawbacks.
“The speed cameras and their resulting fines for those who disrespect the law isn’t a ‘tax grab’ as some people claim,” he said in an email.
“It’s a simple, common-sense, law-abiding fact that you need to slow down in school zones for the sake of the children and their future.”
Woodley said the “best scenario” in the absence of speed cameras was to have radar speed guns and flashing lights to warn speeders.
He said he thinks there aren’t enough police officers to have a consistent police presence and that speed bumps would be hard to maintain on a street like Niagara Stone Road.
Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates, whose riding covers Niagara-on-the-Lake, also opposes the speed camera ban.
He told The Lake Report the cameras were “one tool” to help curb speeding in places where kids and elderly people walk, saying he knows people who have died from being hit by cars.
“I know in my riding, there’s already been two or three people hit. A couple of them were seniors, and a couple of them have died. And one was right by a school area,” he said.
He also objected to Premier Doug Ford calling speed cameras a “hidden tax,” saying hospital parking fees were a much more obvious example of that.
When asked what could have been a compromise on the speed cameras, Gates said that Ford could have done more consulting before enacting this ban and other options could have been discussed.
“Could we’ve had a further discussion about limiting the number of speed cameras they could have had outside those areas? With maybe more speed bumps, roundabouts — and roundabouts are controversial, including the one in St. Davids — you know, anything that’s going to calm traffic and slow down speeders?” he asked. “But that wasn’t the case.”
Despite differing opinions on cameras, residents agreed on one point.
“Children’s safety should always come first,” said Loewen.
Collet agreed, saying, “Children safety at any school crossing is paramount.”
The discontinued cameras generated $134,484 for the town last year and were expected to bring in a similar amount this year before the ban.
The revenue from 2024 was spent on road safety upgrades, including new 70 km/h speed signs for NOTL’s rural roads, after the speed limit was changed this year.
