Add Springwater to the municipalities that will use automated speed enforcement (ASE) in a bid to make its community safer.
At the township’s council meeting Wednesday night, council voted unanimously to move forward with ASE, an automated system that uses a camera and radar to enforce speed limits in selected school and community safety zones.
According to Dan Eberhardt, senior engineering technologist for the township, it will take Global Traffic Group Ltd. — the company that provided the winning bid to install the program at no cost and split revenues with the municipality — about six months to install the gear required.
The program will start issuing penalty orders (speeding tickets plus additional costs) sometime around September 2025.
“It will take about six months for it to go live,” Eberhardt told council. “We will issue warning tickets for three months.
“It will take nine months from the time the contract is awarded to when an actual ticket would come through the system," he added.
Through Global’s turnkey ASE program, the township doesn’t have to create its own Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS) or hire a Provincial Offences Officer (or officers), as all penalty orders will be processed through Essa Township’s Joint Processing Centre (JPC), in collaboration with Global.
Global’s proposal included the cost of utilizing Essa’s Joint Processing Centre, for penalty processing and violation management.
“Global will cover all upfront costs associated with implementation including providing ASE system/cameras, installation, signage, Joint Processing Centre (JPC), and all associated maintenance,” Eberhardt wrote in his report to council.
“The township would retain 46 per cent of the net fine revenue for each ticket processed, while Global would retain 54 per cent of the net fine revenue for each ticket processed," he added.
The report noted that throughout the three-year fixed term and two optional years, the percentage of revenue for each ticket processed will remain consistent with Global’s outlined revenue split.
Eberhardt’s report noted that with each penalty order there are victim surcharge fees, Ministry of Transportation fees and other fees associated with the penalty order. The revenue split is based off the net fine revenue.
Revenues generated from the program will go to offset the cost of the program first, and additional revenue would go back into the township’s coffers to support public safety and educational initiatives for traffic safety.
Speed cameras, which are already in use in a number of local municipalities, including the City of Barrie, Essa Township and the Town of Innisfil, is designed to work in concert with other road safety measures to help improve safety by increasing speed compliance, altering driver behaviour and increasing public awareness about the need to slow down. ASE is used in designated community safety and school zones.
Springwater currently has five community safety zones:
- Vespra Valley Road – Mayer Road, north to Highway 26
- Doran Road – Midpark Boulevard, east to Finlay Mill Road
- Seadon Road – 70 metres west of Boothby Crescent east to 70 metres east of Byers Street
- Queen Street – 75 metres east of Malcolm Street east to 150 metres east of Nash Avenue
- Yonge Street – 100 metres south of Train Avenue East, north to 150 metres north of William Street.
Eberhardt’s report noted that Penetanguishene Road (Highway 93) is a community safety zone through Hillsdale from McFadden Drive north to 150 metres north of Robert Boulevard. However, the roadway is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transportation.
The township has 11 school zones:
- Robinson Road – Yonge Street South, west to Lawson Avenue
- Lawson Avenue – Riverview Court, north to 150 metres north of northerly boundary of school property
- Kerr Street – Shaw Street, east to Ritchie Crescent
- Flos Crescent – Kerr Street north to Glenview Avenue
- Train Avenue East – Yonge Street South, east to Simcoe Street
- Simcoe Street – Train Avenue East north to 150 metres north of northern boundary of school property
- Albert Street East – 150 metres west of west boundary of school property, east to 150 metres east of eastern boundary of school property
- Agnes Street – Mill Street East, north to Albert Street East
- Doran Road – Highway 27 to 20 metres north of Belmont Crescent
- Huron Street – Ronald Road, south to Maple Avenue East
- Maguire Avenue – Huron Street east to Laird Drive.
According to Eberhardt’s report, the program will start with two cameras for the first three years of the contract. There is an option to expand the program to three cameras in the fourth year and four cameras in the fifth year.
Springwater Township and Global will develop a rotation schedule for the two cameras throughout various community safety zones and school zones within the municipality.
“Global will manage all aspects of installation, testing, calibration and relocation of the ASE cameras,” Eberhardt wrote.
Eberhardt said the cameras will be installed about five metres above grade and are equipped with vandal-proof security locks and windows — built to withstand tampering and vandalism.
Global will be responsible for any damage or vandalism to the cameras at their own cost.
The township will be required to install all of the necessary signs for the cameras at each location.
Springwater has opted to declare emergency vehicles, including police, paramedics, firefighters (including volunteer firefighters) exempt from the ASE program.
The township will provide Global with a list of licence plates for the vehicles of its volunteer firefighters who will be exempt from the program.
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