pbrown@mollp.com
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Toronto Mayor John Tory’s recent request to allow photo radar would be a win for both pedestrians and cyclists, but the city should also consider further measures aimed at reducing speed, Toronto critical injury lawyer Patrick Brown tells Metro News.
As the article notes, Tory has formally asked Premier Kathleen Wynne to amend provincial laws to permit photo radar in the city, first and foremost as “a safety measure,” but also to contain police costs.
A 2011 survey by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that photo radar and red light cameras could reduce fatal collisions by up to 24 per cent, Metro News reports.
“We all know speed kills and this is one way to slow down traffic. It sends a message that people are watching and if you’re going to speed you’re going to get caught,” says Brown, a partner with McLeish Orlando LLP.
He tells Metro News that the photo radar plan is a “first step” in reducing speed, adding that the city has plenty more work to do on the issue.
Brown says he also wants the city to designate areas with high pedestrian traffic as community safety zones under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act, as doing so would double speeding fines in those neighbourhoods.
