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Jun 11, 2023

Warnings now, tickets later? Speed camera pilot project wraps up in Mount Pearl and Paradise

A pilot project to catch speeding drivers — or at least warn them — is wrapping up in Mount Pearl and Paradise, and at least one driver with a heavy foot wonders if the warning he got this time will

A pilot project to catch speeding drivers — or at least warn them — is wrapping up in Mount Pearl and Paradise, and at least one driver with a heavy foot wonders if the warning he got this time will mean a ticket down the road.

Traffic cameras were installed July 1 to monitor roads in locations around both municipalities, with speeding drivers receiving letters with a picture of their car and the statement, "The vehicle pictured was photographed exceeding the posted speed limit." In bold, red letters the notice states, "This is not a ticket."

But Aaron Bennett, who received a notice that says his car was caught going 81 km/h in a 50 km/h zone, wonders if the warning will be used as evidence toward an eventual speeding ticket.

"The biggest curiosity I got is eventually will it be a ticket that will come in the mail, or is it just something that's a pilot project?" he said.

Digital Government and Service N.L. Minister Sarah Stoodley says she doesn't expect people who received notices will get speeding tickets — but ultimately it's up to law enforcement.

"Everyone who got these speed detection notices, those are not going to automatically become tickets," said Stoodley. But legally, they could, she said — in Newfoundland and Labrador, it's legal to ticket someone as a result of camera footage. "There's legal validity in someone sending a ticket. And so I can't speak to anything that any law enforcement might do."

Bennett said he's also concerned about the camera capturing an image of a shared vehicle, like a company car or a family car, when the person speeding might not be the registered driver.

When a ticket is issued as a result of a traffic camera, said Stoodley, there will be no demerits on a driver's licence — but the registered driver of the vehicle can expect a fine when the full project eventually rolls out.

Before that happens, though, the government will review the information collected over the summer.

Stoodley said the priority is having the traffic cameras issuing tickets in a process that doesn't create a burden on the court system.

"That's maybe even the harder part," said Stoodley. "How do we automate that as much as possible so that we don't … clog up the court system."

Stoodley said there will be signs indicating the presence of each camera.

"We're not trying to trick people," she said. "This is about keeping your speeds down.… We want to prevent accidents, we want to keep people safe, you know, reduce injuries, save lives."

Bennett acknowledges the cameras were a good reminder.

"You shouldn't be speeding and you never know who's watching," he said. "So keep your speeds down. That's the name of the game. Everyone should check their mailboxes."

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