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11-23-2006, 03:00 AM
Ontario group calls for photo radar to reduce fatalities at construction sites
November 22, 2006.
Toronto, Ontario - Representatives from road construction workers and construction companies have called on the Ontario government to approve the use of photo radar at construction work zones. The groups say that there have been almost 19,000 collisions at highway and road maintenance and construction zones in Ontario from 1997 to 2004, with a total of 5,872 people injured and 86 killed. Five of the fatalities were road construction workers.
"Too many people are getting hurt and killed at these sites because of speeding vehicles," says Robert Bradford, Executive Director of the Ontario Road Builders' Association (ORBA). "We need to enforce reduced speed limits in construction zones, and the best way to do that is to allow photo radar to be used at these specific locations."
According to the Ontario Transportation Minister's office, the provincial government is currently not considering photo radar. Recent amendments to the Highway Traffic Act doubled speeding fines in construction zones when workers are present, but the construction groups say that the effect of these higher fines on speeding has been minimal. In a recent survey conducted by ORBA, at a construction site on Highway 400 where the posted speed limit was 80 km/h, the group found that 83 per cent of all vehicles were exceeding the limit.
November 22, 2006.
Toronto, Ontario - Representatives from road construction workers and construction companies have called on the Ontario government to approve the use of photo radar at construction work zones. The groups say that there have been almost 19,000 collisions at highway and road maintenance and construction zones in Ontario from 1997 to 2004, with a total of 5,872 people injured and 86 killed. Five of the fatalities were road construction workers.
"Too many people are getting hurt and killed at these sites because of speeding vehicles," says Robert Bradford, Executive Director of the Ontario Road Builders' Association (ORBA). "We need to enforce reduced speed limits in construction zones, and the best way to do that is to allow photo radar to be used at these specific locations."
According to the Ontario Transportation Minister's office, the provincial government is currently not considering photo radar. Recent amendments to the Highway Traffic Act doubled speeding fines in construction zones when workers are present, but the construction groups say that the effect of these higher fines on speeding has been minimal. In a recent survey conducted by ORBA, at a construction site on Highway 400 where the posted speed limit was 80 km/h, the group found that 83 per cent of all vehicles were exceeding the limit.
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