- Council has formally approved the installation of Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) cameras in Stouffville.
- Utilizing recently expanded Community Safety Zones, ASE equipment will be deployed in stages.
- Authority has been delegated to Staff to decide on ASE locations using a data-based approach and in consultation with local Councillors.
- Staff expect the first cameras to be operational by mid-2025.
- Stouffville will lease the equipment from German photonics company Jenoptik.
During the September 25, 2024, Council meeting, Community Safety Zones were expanded throughout Stouffville. “This marks a significant milestone in advancing the program and improving road safety,” Staff noted in their report, as ASE cameras must be deployed within these zones.
“The program has been shown to lower speeds, improve traffic flow, and reduce both the frequency and severity of collisions. The primary goal of implementing ASE is to reduce traffic accidents and fatalities caused by speeding,” the report explains.
“We’re not doing this simply as a way to make money…Community safety, traffic safety, is the most important thing for all of us,” Councillor Hugo Kroon stated during Council’s October 16, 2024, deliberations. “As budget considerations come up, we need to allocate the monies that we make on ASE to…other traffic safety initiatives.”
“Otherwise, it’s just a tax grab,” Kroon added. “It’s a tax on stupid people, or a tax on people with heavy right feet, and that, in my view, is not appropriate.”
Chief Administrative Officer Sunny Bains echoed Kroon’s concerns. “We hope this is the biggest failure,” he said of potential revenue gains. “The goal is to correct driver behaviour and make our town safer,” he continued, confirming that any ASE revenues will be allocated to enforcement and other road safety efforts.
The ASE program will be rolled out in stages, with camera delivery expected to take at least eight weeks after orders are placed. However, municipal preparations, such as ensuring power availability at camera locations, may extend implementation timelines. The Town aims to have cameras running by mid-2025.
Signs will be posted 90 days before the activation of each ASE camera to notify motorists of their locations. Staff are also developing a communications plan to ensure the public is informed.
Instead of purchasing cameras, Stouffville will lease them from Germany-based photonics firm Jenoptik. They have supplied over 1,600 cameras to New York City, as an example, which recently conducted a major expansion of its ASE program.
Through their efforts, speeding at New York’s fixed ASE camera locations decreased by an average of 73%. Deaths and serious injuries were also reduced at higher rates compared to roads without automated enforcement.
According to Staff, Jenoptik will be responsible for camera maintenance and software updates. Any future technology upgrades will be implemented at no additional cost to the Town.
Stouffville’s ASE program costs have not yet been made public, however they will be included in the upcoming 2025 Draft Operating Budget.
*This piece has been corrected to note that ASE tickets will be processed at a joint processing centre in the Town of Newmarket, and not by the Town of Whitchurch Stouffville.
