Council Member Motion: Advocacy – red light cameras and speed cameras

BACKGROUND

ICBC data¹ shows that in Victoria during the period 2018 to 2022 there were 4,087 casualty crashes (crashes resulting in injury or fatality, as opposed to crashes involving just property damage).

As noted by the Government of BC:

• “Most crashes in British Columbia happen at intersections. To reduce injuries and save lives, B.C. installs intersection safety cameras—sometimes called red light cameras—at intersections where crashes occur frequently. Warning signs let drivers know the intersection has cameras. Stopping for red lights and observing the speed limits help to reduce collisions, injuries and fatalities.”²
• “There are intersection safety cameras at 140 high-crash intersections province-wide. 105 monitor red light violations, 35 monitor both red light and speed violations.”³
• “The cameras are proven to be effective at reducing side-impact, head-on and pedestrian crashes, and are located where red light running and high speed cause serious crashes.”⁴

There is only one red light camera in Victoria, and no speed cameras. That camera is at Lansdown and Shelbourne.⁵ More than 98% of casualty crashes in Victoria during 2018-2022 occurred at locations other than that intersection.⁶

RECOMMENDATION

That Council direct the Mayor to:

• write to the Provincial Government to request that it install speed and red light cameras at all locations in Victoria where there were over 20 casualty crashes during 2018-2022, or that it allow BC municipalities to install speed and red light cameras at their own cost and collect fines;
• ask other municipalities in the Capital Region and elsewhere in BC to write similar letters.

¹ https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/icbc/viz/VancouverIslandCrashes/VIDashboard, accessible at ICBC, “Statistics” https://www.icbc.com/about-icbc/newsroom/Pages/Statistics.aspx ² https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/driving-and-cycling/roadsafetybc/intersection-safety-cameras ³ https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/driving-and-cycling/roadsafetybc/intersection-safety-cameras/statistics ⁴ https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/driving-and-cycling/roadsafetybc/intersection-safety-cameras/where-the-cameras-are ⁵ https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/driving-and-cycling/roadsafetybc/intersection-safety-cameras/where-the-cameras-are/vancouver-island ⁶ https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/icbc/viz/VancouverIslandCrashes/VIDashboard