1.
RED LIGHT CAMERA PROGRAM - STATUS UPDATE PROGRAMME
D’APPAREILS PHOTO RELIÉS AUX FEUX ROUGES – RAPPORT DE SITUATION |
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION as amended
That Council approve the continuation of the Red Light Camera
Program in the City of Ottawa as amended by the following:
1. That staff develop options for
accelerating the number of intersections in Ottawa to be instrumented for red
light cameras and for increasing the numbers of cameras available for those
intersections in time for the 2005 Budget as an integral part of the Integrated
Road Safety Program. These options
should include ways of accelerating the program without affecting the property
tax.
2. That staff explore with the
Provincial government and private sector suppliers the use of red light cameras
to capture “speed on green” offences and that the need for amended legislation
to allow for this additional use be communicated to MPPs, the MTO and the AMO.
Recommandation modifiÉe DU COMITÉ
Que le Conseil
municipal approuve le maintien du Programme d’appareils photo reliés aux feux
rouges dans la Ville d’Ottawa, tel que modifié par ce qui suit :
1.
que le personnel établisse des options afin
d’accroître plus rapidement le nombre des intersections à Ottawa où seront
installés des appareils photo reliés aux feux rouges et d’augmenter le nombre
d’appareils photo disponibles pour lesdites intersections à temps pour le
budget de 2005 en tant que partie intégrante du Programme intégré de sécurité
routière. Les options devraient comprendre des manières d’accélérer la mise en
œuvre du programme sans toucher aux taxes foncières.
2.
que le personnel explore avec le gouvernement
provincial et les fournisseurs du secteur privé la possibilité d’utiliser des
appareils photo reliés aux feux rouges afin de constater « les excès de
vitesse au feu vert » et que la nécessité de modifier la réglementation en
vue de cette utilisation supplémentaire soit transmise aux députés provinciaux,
au MTO et à l’AMO.
DOCUMENTATION
1.
Deputy
City Manager, Public Works and Services report dated 22 November 2004
(ACS2004-TUP-TRF-0005).
2.
Extract
of Draft Minutes, 1 December 2004.
Report to/Rapport au :
Transportation Committee
Comité du transport
and Council/et au Conseil
22 November 2004/le 22 novembre 2004
R.T.
Leclair, Deputy City Manager/directrice municipale adjointe
Public Works
and Services/Services et Travaux publics
Contact Person/Personne ressource : Michael J.
Flainek, P.Eng., Director/Directeur
Traffic & Parking Operations/Circulation et
stationnement
(613) 580-2424 x26882, Michael.Flainek@ottawa.ca
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SUBJECT: |
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OBJET : |
PROGRAMME D’APPAREILS PHOTO RELIÉS AUX FEUX
ROUGES – RAPPORT DE SITUATION |
REPORT RECOMMENDATION
That Transportation
Committee recommend that Council approve the continuation of the Red Light
Camera Program in the City of Ottawa.
RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT
Que le Comité des
transports recommande que Conseil municipal approuvent le maintien du Programme
d’appareils photo reliés aux feux rouges dans la Ville d’Ottawa.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Assumptions and Analysis:
The purpose of this report is to provide information on the safety benefits experienced during the Red Light Camera Pilot Project and request Council approval for the implementation of an ongoing Red Light Camera Program for the City of Ottawa.
The City of Ottawa’s Red Light Camera Pilot Project was started in November 2000 as part of a Provincial Pilot Project in order to reduce the frequency of right-angle collisions. Of all collisions that occur at signalized intersections, angle-types are the most serious and the most indicative of red light running. Since the beginning of the Red Light Camera Pilot Project, two cameras have been rotated among eight equipped intersections (Annex 1 refers) throughout the City. A total of 9,813 tickets were issued during the first three years of the Pilot Project.
The results from the recently completed Municipal-Provincial Study (Annex 2 refers) that collectively evaluated the Red Light Camera Pilot Projects for all six Ontario Municipalities during the first two years of the program concluded that:
“The
Red Light Camera Enforcement Pilot Project has been shown to be an effective tool
in reducing fatal and injury collisions, thereby preventing injuries and saving
lives.”
Further analysis
also revealed a positive net societal benefit-cost ratio of 1.57:1, indicating
the Program to be economically viable.
As a result, on 10 August 2004 the Provincial Government announced it
had enacted legislation permitting cities to use Red Light Cameras on a
permanent basis.
A review of the City of Ottawa’s collision statistics, indicate the total number of collisions decreased by 11% at the eight Red Light Camera sites, while right-angle collisions were reduced by 32% at these same intersections (Annex 3 refers).
Financial
Implications:
Funding is currently in place to operate the City’s eight Red Light Camera sites until the end of 2004. In order to make this a permanent program within the City of Ottawa, staff have identified funds in the 2005 Capital Budget and the Long Range Financial Plan 2 to allow for both the continued operation of the existing sites and a phased in expansion of the Program over the next five years to potentially include an additional 8 cameras and 12 new sites.
Public
Consultation/Input:
This report has been posted on the City’s Web page. In addition the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario publicly announced on 10 August 2004 that it had enacted legislation permitting the permanent use of red light camera technology by designated municipalities. Based on the high number of requests staff have received for additional red light camera sites, it appears the program has strong support from members of the public.
RÉSUMÉ
Hypothèses et analyse :
Ce Rapport a pour but d’informer le Conseil sur
les effets positifs qu’a eu le projet pilote d’appareils photo reliés aux feux
rouges sur la sécurité routière à Ottawa et l’inciter à accorder au projet le
financement nécessaire pour qu’il devienne un programme permanent.
Rappelons que le projet pilote
a été lancé à Ottawa en novembre 2000 afin de réduire le nombre des collisions
à angle droit. De toutes les collisions qui surviennent aux
intersections signalisées, celles à angle droit sont les plus graves et les
plus indicatives qu’un conducteur a grillé un feu rouge. Depuis le début du
projet pilote, deux appareils photo sont utilisés pour surveiller à tour de
rôle huit intersections dans différentes parties de la Ville (voir l’Annexe
1). Un total de 9 813
contraventions ont été émises au cours des trois premières années du projet
pilote.
Les résultats de l’Étude municipale-provinciale
récemment complétée (voir Annexe 2) qui a évalué les résultats des deux
premières années du projet pilote dans les six municipalités ontariennes où il
a été mis en œuvre indiquent que :
« Le projet
pilote d’appareils photo reliés aux feux rouges s’avère être un outil efficace
et salutaire pour réduire le nombre de collisions causant la mort ou des
blessures. »
Une analyse ultérieure des bienfaits sociétaux
a également révélé un rapport avantages-coûts positif net de
1,57 : 1, ce qui indique que le programme est rentable. Par conséquent, le gouvernement provincial a
annoncé le 10 août dernier qu’il avait promulgué une loi qui autorisait les
villes à utiliser des appareils photo reliés aux feux rouges sur une base
permanente.
Un examen des statistiques des collisions dans
la Ville d’Ottawa montre que leur nombre total a baissé de 11 % – et de
32 % dans le cas de collisions à angle droit – aux intersections équipées
d’appareils photo (voir l’Annexe 3).
Répercussions financières :
Le financement est actuellement en place afin
de mettre en œuvre les huit emplacements pour les appareils photo reliés aux
feux rouges de la Ville jusqu’à la fin de 2004. Dans le but d’en faire un
programme permanent de la Ville d’Ottawa, le personnel a établi des fonds dans
le budget d’immobilisations de 2005 et le Plan financier à long terme 2 en vue
de permettre à tous deux l’exploitation continue des emplacements actuels et
une expansion graduelle du programme au cours des cinq prochaines années afin
de pouvoir inclure huit appareils photo et douze emplacements supplémentaires.
Consultation publique / commentaires :
Ce rapport a été affiché sur le site Web de la
Ville. De plus, le ministère des Transports de l’Ontario a annoncé publiquement
le 10 août 2004 qu’il a adopté une loi permettant l’utilisation permanente de
la technologie des appareils photo reliés aux feux rouges par des municipalités
désignées. Si on se base sur le nombre élevé de demandes reçues par le
personnel en ce qui a trait à un nombre d’emplacements d’appareils photo reliés
aux feux rouges supplémentaires, il appert que le programme est largement
appuyé par le public.
BACKGROUND
On 18 December
1998, the Red Light Cameras Pilot
Projects Act, 1998 (Bill 102), received Royal Assent. The Act amended the Highway Traffic Act to
enable Municipalities, for a period of two years, to use evidence obtained from
Red Light Cameras to issue violation notices.
In announcing Bill 102, the Province stipulated that Municipalities wishing to introduce a Red Light Camera Pilot Project would be required to:
a) Conduct
stepped-up Police Enforcement at other high-risk intersections;
b) Participate in
a comprehensive “before and after” statistical
evaluation to determine the combined effect of Red Light Camera Systems and
Police Enforcement on the frequency of red light running; and;
c) Reimburse the
Province for all of its costs associated with the Project.
Six
Municipalities in Ontario were designated by the Ministry of Transportation,
Ontario, as Red Light Camera Pilot Areas, namely: the City of Ottawa, the City
of Hamilton, the City of Toronto, the Regional Municipality of Halton, the
Regional Municipality of Peel, and the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. These six Municipalities, along with staff
from the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario, and the Ministry of the Attorney
General, have been working as a group since the beginning of the Project to
ensure uniformity in application and to share the workload. The Project has a Steering Committee and
Working Groups associated with the safety evaluation; hardware specifications
and tendering; legal issues; and the processing of tickets.
On 20 November
2000, the Lieutenant Governor proclaimed Bill 102 and on the same day, the City
of Ottawa and the participating Municipalities began operation of the Red Light
Cameras. The City of Ottawa has been
rotating two cameras around eight sites since the beginning of the
Project. The sites are illustrated on
the map in Annex 1.
On 13 February
2002, City Council approved the former Transportation and Transit Committee’s
report recommending that:
“City Council request the Government of Ontario,
through the Minister of Transportation, Ontario, to extend Bill 102 for an
additional two years, until 20 November 2004.”
Subsequently,
on 19 November 2002, Bill 149 received Royal Assent extending the Red Light
Camera Pilot Project to 20 November 2004.
Finally, on 10
August 2004 the Minister of Transportation of Ontario, the Honourable Harinder
Takhar, announced enactment of legislation allowing designated Ontario
Municipalities to use Red Light Camera technology on a permanent basis.
DISCUSSION
This report
discusses the following items:
1. Status of Red
Light Camera Legislation;
2. Summary of the
Provincial “Before and After” Safety Evaluation and Benefit-Cost Analysis;
3. Summary of
City of Ottawa supplementary “Before and After” Collision Analysis;
4. Summary of
City of Ottawa costs and ticket revenues for/from existing Red Light Cameras;
5. Ongoing
operation of existing Red Light Camera sites; and,
6. Future
expansion of Red Light Camera Program.
1. Status of Red Light Camera Legislation
On 10 August 2004 the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario, announced it
had enacted legislation allowing Ontario Municipalities to use Red Light Camera
technology on a permanent basis. This
ends the “pilot” phase of the Project.
This
decision was made after considering requests from Ontario Municipalities
to extend the governing legislation indefinitely. The main reasons that were offered to Provincial officials
for this request were:
a)
The results from the first two years of operation of
the Red Light Camera Pilot Project indicate that the Project has achieved the
objective of reducing angle collisions, particularly those resulting in
personal injuries and fatalities;
b)
There is strong public support for Camera enforcement
of red light running; and,
c)
Endorsement for the continued use of automated
enforcement from the City of Ottawa’s Police Services Board (Annex 4 refers).
In conjunction
with this announcement, the Province has also stipulated that Municipalities
will now be required to erect signage at each of the intersections to inform
motorists that the location is enforced by a Red Light Camera.
Municipal and
Provincial representatives are currently meeting to decide on the type and
location of the signage. In addition to
the specific signage at the Red Light Camera sites, staff are recommending that
as part of the Integrated Road Safety Program, that messaging through its
Monthly Enforcement Initiatives be undertaken.
Also, perimeter signage at key locations into the City of Ottawa, along
with the current signage locations for safety-related messaging (part of the
Integrated Road Safety Program) be utilized to promote the City of Ottawa’s
efforts in instilling a safe community.
2. Summary of the Provincial “Before
and After” Evaluation Study on Safety
The Ministry
of Transportation, Ontario, retained a consultant to conduct a “before and
after” evaluation study covering the six participating Municipalities. The purpose of the evaluation study was to
determine, with statistical significance, the combined effect that Red Light
Cameras and Police Enforcement have had on safety. A copy of this report’s Executive Summary is attached as Annex 2.
3. Summary of City of Ottawa “Before
And After” Collision Analysis
Only five of the City of Ottawa Red Light Camera sites were used in the
Provincial “before and after” safety evaluation. A supplementary collision frequency analysis was conducted, using
the same “before and after” periods as the Provincial safety evaluation.
The results indicate an overall reduction of
11% in the total number of collisions at the City of Ottawa’s eight Red Light
Camera locations and a 32% reduction in angle type collisions at these same
sites.
The study findings show that red light cameras
are an effective tool in reducing fatal and injury collisions, thereby
preventing injuries and saving lives.
Additional results of this evaluation are summarized in Annex 3.
4. Summary of City of Ottawa Costs and Ticket Revenues For/From Existing Red Light Cameras
Between November 2000 and December 2003, the City of Ottawa issued a total of 9,813 tickets from its two Red Light Cameras. Fine revenue is collected from both pre-payments, at the full amount of $190 and from Court-ordered convictions at an amount set by the Court at the conclusion of each trial. Of the total payable, the City of Ottawa remits up to $35 from each ticket for the provincially administered Victim Surcharge Fund and retains the balance. As a result, fine revenues for this period are estimated at $1,440,549.
The Gross Project Cost for the same period was $1,744,224, as detailed in Table 1 below.
A substantial portion of the cost of the program was incurred during the first year of the program due to one time equipment purchases and site preparation.
Operating costs for 2004 are estimated at $400,000 with projected fine revenue of $450,000.
The City would likely be on a break-even basis or better were it not for the Ontario Provincial Services employees Union (OPSEU) strike in 2002. This resulted in the non-issuance of some 2,500 violations or approximately $375,000 in lost fine revenues.
TABLE 1 – PROJECT
COSTS
(November 2000 – December 2003) |
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Project
Component
|
Costs – Year 1 (Nov 00 – Dec
01) |
Year 2 (2002) |
Year 3 (2003) |
Totals
|
|
Supply/Install Equipment and Site Preparation |
$616,307 |
0 |
0 |
$616,307 |
|
Operate Equipment |
$175,000 |
$175,000 |
$180,000 |
$530,000 |
|
Ticket Processing |
$88,689 |
$88,689 |
$68,051 |
$245,429 |
|
Provincial Costs (Study and plate retrieval) |
$44,984 |
$41,791 |
$254,213 |
$340,988 |
|
Public Awareness |
$11,500 |
0 |
0 |
$11,500 |
Total
Program Costs
|
$936,480 |
$305,480 |
$502,264 |
$1,744,224 |
5. Operation of Existing Red Light Camera Sites
The City of Ottawa owns two Red Light Cameras that are rotated among
eight equipped sites (with poles, enclosures and detectors). The current City of Ottawa Red Light Camera
sites are illustrated in Annex 1. In addition to the recent Provincial amendment to the legislative
authority, the operation of Red Light Cameras also requires the City of Ottawa have operational
agreements with the:
a) Red Light
Camera Vendor, Affiliated Computer Systems (ACS), for operation
and maintenance of the Red Light Cameras;
b) Ministry of Transportation, Ontario, to obtain licence plate registration information which is necessary to lay charges under this Program; and,
c) City of
Toronto for the operation and cost sharing of the centralized
municipal processing centre, which issues offence notices, on behalf of the
participating Municipalities.
Affiliated Computer
Systems (ACS) has supplied, maintained, and operated the existing red light
camera equipment for the City of Ottawa as well as the other 5 Ontario cities
since the start of the program in November 2000. ACS has provided unit cost pricing for operation and maintenance
of red light cameras for the period of November 2004 – November 2005 to the
participating municipalities. Since the
City owns the red light camera equipment, operation and maintenance costs of the
existing sites are the only ACS expenditures to be incurred in the fifth year
of operation. The ACS cost to the City
is estimated at $195,000, which is based upon 2003 quantities of activity. The unit costs provided by ACS represent a
four percent increase over the fourth year unit cost prices. This has been discussed with our Supply
Management Division and they concur with retaining the services of ACS. In addition the other participating
municipalities have issued similar reports recommending an extension to their
agreements with this vendor.
With regard to the procurement of additional red light
camera equipment and services beyond November 2005, staff would consider
partnering again with other Ontario municipalities in a joint Request for
Proposals (RFP). This cooperative
approach between cities has been very beneficial both in terms of economies of
scale and presenting a consistent and defensible system before the
judiciary. The municipal red light
camera project steering committee has concluded that a new red light camera RFP
should permit vendors to submit proposals based on both the
purchase/maintenance fee and the leasing fee financing options.
The agreement
with the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario, defines the responsibilities
of both parties and permits the City to obtain and use licence plate
registration information necessary to lay charges. The agreement requires the City of Ottawa to comply with all
applicable laws and statutes including the Provincial
Offences Act, the Municipal Freedom
of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Highway Traffic Act. The
agreement provides the City of Ottawa the non-transferable right to use licence
plate registration information for the purpose of conducting legal proceedings
specific to Red Light running violations.
In order to continue Red Light Camera Program beyond 20 November 2004,
the agreement with the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario, will be extended.
The City of
Toronto operates the centralized municipal processing centre on behalf of
itself and the other participating Municipalities. The centralized municipal processing
centre employs designated Provincial Offences officers who review and process
evidence obtained from the Red Light Cameras, obtain plate ownership
information for offences, lay Red Light running charges and prepare court
documents. By maintaining the operation as a
Municipal function, the participating Municipalities ensure a consistent approach to the processing of Red Light Camera
offences, thereby maintaining the integrity of and upholding public confidence
in the Program. In addition, the
agreement with the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario, does not permit
the Municipalities to transfer the right to use licence
plate registration information, which is necessary to lay charges.
The agreements with the participating Municipalities define the responsibilities of participating parties regarding the sharing of all operating costs. In order to continue Red Light Camera Program beyond 20 November 2004, the City of Ottawa will extend its agreement with the City of Toronto.
6. Red Light Camera Expansion Plans for the City of Ottawa
Since the launch of the Red Light Camera Pilot Project
in November 2000, the City of Ottawa has retained its original complement of
two cameras and rotated them through the same eight intersections. No other sites were recommended beyond the
original eight due to the uncertain timelines of the permitting
legislation. This, coupled with the
high cost of preparing a site, made staff reluctant in recommending additional
intersections.
This has all changed,
however, as the Provincial Government has extended the permitting Red Light Camera Legislation
indefinitely. Council can now consider
expanding the number of Red Light Cameras and sites in the City of Ottawa beyond
the current two cameras and eight sites.
As a result, staff have identified funding in the 2005
Budget, as well as the Long Range Financial Plan 2, for the addition of eight
cameras and twelve new sites over the next five years, thereby bringing the City’s
total to ten cameras and twenty intersections (sites). A possible implementation schedule includes
the addition of 4 sites/2 cameras in each of 2005 and 2006, 2 sites/2 cameras
in 2007, and 1 site/1 camera in each of 2008 and 2009. This is only a proposed implementation
schedule and will likely be influenced by the outcome of the next Request for
Proposals and the resulting financing options.
The success of any Red Light Camera Program is
measured by the reduction in the number of fatalities and serious injury
related motor vehicle collisions.
Because it is not economically feasible nor technically necessary to
install Red Light Cameras at all signalized intersections, careful
consideration must be taken in the selection of new sites. To assist in this process, staff have
identified a set of criteria, listed in Table 2, to be used in the selection of
additional locations for an expanded Red Light Camera Program.
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TABLE 2 RED LIGHT CAMERA SITE SELECTION
CRITERIA AND PROCESS |
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Step
1. |
a) |
Review
all collision data for signalized intersections. |
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b) |
List
signalized intersections with highest frequency of serious angle-type
collisions. |
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c) |
List
signalized intersections with highest frequency of serious turn type
collisions. |
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d) |
Identify
signalized intersections with highest frequency of collisions involving
pedestrians and cyclists. |
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e) |
List
signalized intersections with highest frequency of rear end type collisions. |
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Step
2. |
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Consult
with Ottawa Police Services to determine intersections with highest issuance
of Red Light running infractions and highest number of requests from public
for Police Enforcement. |
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Step
3. |
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Review
short-listed locations for possible alternate solutions involving
intersection geometry, signal operation, signage prior to installing Red
Light Cameras. |
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Step
4. |
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Review
short listed intersections for physical suitability of Red Light Camera
installation (presence of above and below ground plant in addition to
driveways can preclude installation). |
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Step.
5. |
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Review
short listed intersections not deemed suitable for Red Light Camera
enforcement for possible additional Police Enforcement. |
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Step
6. |
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Conduct
“before” Red Light running studies at short-listed intersections. |
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Step
7. |
|
Select
final locations for Red Light enforcement based on highest potential for
collision reduction while attempting to achieve even distribution across the
City of Ottawa. |
CONSULTATION
This report has been posted on the City’s Web page. In addition the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario publicly announced on 10 August 2004 that it had enacted legislation permitting the permanent use of red light camera technology by designated municipalities.
Staff have generally received very positive feedback from the public with regard to the Red Light Camera Pilot Project. This is evidenced by the significant requests from the public either directly or through their elected official for the installation of additional Camera sites.
A research poll commissioned in 2002 by the six participating Municipalities revealed that over 89% of the respondents in the Ottawa area were aware of the City’s Red Light Camera Pilot Project.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
A permanent Red Light Camera Program has been identified in the 2005 Budget and the Long Range Financial Plan 2. At this time, staff have identified expenditures of approximately $7,000,000 over the next five years for the continuation and expansion of the City’s Red Light Camera Program. This includes $1,550,000 for 2005 to cover the costs of operating the existing camera locations and the capital costs associated with potentially adding four new sites along with two more red light cameras.
The revenues for 2005 are estimated to be $450,000 and are conservatively based on only two cameras rotating among the 8 existing intersections. It is not expected that additional cameras or sites will become operational until fall of 2005 pending outcome of the next red light camera Request for Proposals, any necessary Provincial legislative amendments, and the time required to construct new sites. Therefore any significant revenue resulting from the two additional cameras will only accrue in 2006.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Annex 1 Location Map of Existing Red Light Cameras in the City of Ottawa
Annex 2 Executive Summary of Provincial “Before and After” Safety Evaluation
Annex 3 Summary of City of Ottawa Supplementary “Before and After” Safety Evaluation
Annex 4 Ottawa Police Services Board Disposition of 23 June 2003 (Letter to Ontario Transportation Minister)
DISPOSITION
If approved, City staff will enter into a revised Operational Agreement with the respective agencies identified in this report.
ANNEX 1
Location Map of Existing Red Light Cameras in the City of Ottawa
ANNEX 2
Executive Summary of Provincial “Before and After” Safety Evaluation
Evaluation of the Red Light Camera
Enforcement Pilot Project
Final Technical Report - December 2003
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction
The Red Light Cameras Pilot Projects Act,
1998, was passed by the
Ontario Legislature in December 1998 to enable designated Municipalities in the
province of Ontario to operate Red Light Cameras for a two-year period. The Cities of Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa and
the Regional Municipalities of Halton, Peel, and Waterloo participated in the original
two-year Pilot Project, called the Red Light Camera Enforcement Pilot
Project. 1
Two treatments
were implemented during the Pilot Project, namely:
- Automated
enforcement using Red Light Cameras; and,
- Stepped-up
Police Enforcement.
Ninety-five signalized intersections were selected for treatment by the Municipalities as shown in Exhibit 1. These sites were selected based on their collision history among other factors. Of note, a public awareness campaign was conducted in a like manner throughout all participating Municipalities and, therefore, considered a constant throughout the evaluation. Also, there was no signage at the treated intersections, nor any signs anywhere else within any of the participating Municipalities indicating that any intersections had received special treatment.
Exhibit 1
Signalized intersections
selected for treatment
|
|
Treatment
|
Number
|
|
Red Light Camera |
68 |
|
Stepped-up Police Enforcement |
27 |
|
Total |
95 |
1 At the close of the two-year Pilot Project, five of
the six Municipalities (Cities of Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa and the Regional
Municipalities of Peel and Waterloo) formally requested the Province to extend
legislation permitting continuation of the Pilot Project for an additional two
years. On 19 November 2002, the Red Light Cameras Pilot Projects Extension Act, 2002, received Royal Assent.
This legislation enables designated Municipalities to use Red Light
Cameras until 20 November 2004. The
legislation also allows for repeal of the Pilot Project end date, by an Order-In-Council,
prior to 20 November 2004, which would make the legislation permanent.
As part of the Pilot Project, an evaluation study was undertaken to determine the combined impacts on safety of Red Light Cameras and stepped-up Police Enforcement across the Municipalities. The key goals were to:
- Conduct
a “before and after” evaluation study to assess the combined effect of two
Red Light running treatments for intersections with a high incidence of
Red Light running related collisions': use of Red Light Camera Systems and stepped-up Police Enforcement
(safety evaluation); and,
- Assess the costs and performance of
both treatments (benefit - cost analysis).
This evaluation
study was conducted by a team from the firm of Synectics Transportation
Consultants
Inc., under contract to the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario.
2 A collision is any incident in which bodily injury or
damage to property is sustained as a result of the movement of a motor vehicle
or of its load while a motor vehicle is in motion.
Sites Used For Safety Evaluation
Forty-eight
sites distributed throughout the six Municipalities were selected for the
safety evaluation and benefit - cost analysis.
The forty-eight sites consisted of:
- Nineteen Red Light Camera
sites;
- Seventeen stepped-up Police
Enforcement sites; and,
- Twelve local comparison
sites.
The twelve
local comparison sites were included in the analysis as the researchers
wanted to ascertain how the two treatments (Red Light Camera and stepped-up
Police Enforcement) may have affected collisions at sites having no direct
treatment intervention. Combined, the
forty-eight sites provide a means of estimating the overall impacts of the two
treatments in affecting changes in safety at signalized intersections on a community-wide basis across the six Municipalities.
Evaluating the Safety
Performance of the Sites
The
state-of-the-art safety evaluation technique known as the Empirical Bayes (EB)
method was used for deriving estimates of the overall effectiveness of the two
treatments. This procedure is
recognized as being an accurate, precise statistical tool for conducting safety
evaluations of treatments when only valid collision data is available for the
evaluation study locations during the before and after periods of treatment implementation.
The six
participating Municipalities provided annual collision and traffic volume data
from 179 signalized intersections representing the time period 1995 to 19993. This data was used to develop safety
performance function (SPF) curves in order to estimate what the average safety
performance (in yearly collision frequency) is expected to be at a group of
typical signalized intersections representing a range of traffic volumes.
3 The 179
signalized intersections included the forty-eight study intersections used in
this evaluation.
Exhibit 2 shows the percentage difference between the expected and
observed
number of fatal, injury and property damage only collisions in the
first two years of the Pilot Project averaged over the forty-eight sites. A negative number indicates that the
intersections on average performed better than expected, having less
collision occurrence than what would have been expected had there been no
treatments implemented. A positive
number indicates the intersections on average performed worse than
expected, having more collision occurrence than what would have been expected
had there been no treatments implemented.
Combining the annual collision experience (years
1995 to 1999) at each of the forty-eight signalized intersections with the
derived SPF curves, the number of fatal, injury and property damage, only
collisions that would have been expected to occur if the treatments had not
been implemented at each intersection during the first two years (20 November
2000 to 19 November 2002) of the Pilot Project were estimated. In essence, the Evaluation Study Team was
able to estimate what the expected number of fatal, injury and property damage
only collisions would have been had the treatments not been introduced. This prediction process was done using the
EB method, and the final estimators are known as the EB estimators of safety.
These EB estimators for the forty-eight signalized
intersections were then compared to the actual (observed) number of collisions
that occurred at each of them in the first two years of the Pilot Project
during which time the treatments were implemented.
A comparison between the expected
number of collisions if the treatments had not been implemented (i.e. the EB estimators) and the observed
number of collisions that actually occurred with the treatments implemented provides the basis for the safety
effectiveness of the two treatments to be assessed at each of the forty-eight
sites for the first two years of the Pilot Project.
This evaluation study not only considered all collision types combined, but also angle and yearend collisions separately. These two collision types were of interest as past research (NCHRP Synthesis 310 -Impact of Red Light Camera Enforcement on Crash Experience) has shown angle collisions decrease at Red Light Camera sites, but rear-end collisions may increase.
Exhibit 2
Safety
effectiveness
|
|||
|
Signalized
Intersections1 |
Percentage Difference Between Expected and Observed Collisions |
||
|
Fatal And Injury |
Property Damage Only |
||
|
All collision types |
-6.8 |
+18.5 |
|
|
Angle collisions |
-25.3 |
-17.9 |
|
|
Rear-end collisions |
+4.9 |
+49.9 |
|
|
Notes: |
1 The signalized intersections consisted of nineteen Red Light Cameras and seventeen stepped-up Police Enforcement at twelve local comparison sites. |
||
Interpretation
of Results
Exhibit 2 indicates that Red Light running treatments have:
- Contributed to a 6.8 per cent decrease in fatal and injury collisions; and,
- Contributed to an 18.5 per cent increase in property damage only collisions.
These results
show that the treatments have had an encouraging safety result as they have
reduced the number of severe collisions from occurring thereby saving lives and
reducing the number of individuals injured at intersections. However, these treatments have shown to have
increased the number of less severe (non-injury) collisions.
Exhibit 2 indicates the Red Light running treatments have:
- Contributed
to a 25.3 per cent decrease in fatal and injury angle collisions;
and,
· Contributed to a 17.9 per cent decrease in property damage only angle collisions.
The frequency of all angle collisions have been
reduced with the implementation of the treatments, with the greatest benefit
being realized for the fatal and injury collisions.
Finally, Exhibit 2 indicates the Red Light
running treatments have:
- Contributed
to a 4.9 per cent increase in fatal and injury rear-end collisions;
and,
- Contributed
to a 49.9 per cent increase in property damage only rear-end
collisions.
The rear-end collision results are similar to
findings in other Red Light Camera studies (NCHRP Synthesis 310).
Benefit - Cost Analysis
The purpose of the benefit and cost
analysis was to determine the net societal benefits of the Pilot Project
through an assessment of all benefits and costs associated with the operation
of Red Light Cameras and stepped-up Police Enforcement during the first two
years of the Pilot Project (20 November 2000 – 19 November 2002) at the
forty-eight evaluation study sites. All
benefits and costs are representative of the first two years of the
Project. The following benefits were
identified for inclusion in the benefit - cost analysis:
- Collisions avoided - societal cost savings due to a
reduction in fatalities and injuries, reduced property damage, a reduced
burden on the health care system and a reduced burden on emergency
services.
A number of different costs were also
identified. All capital purchases were
annualized over five years. The
following costs were identified for inclusion in the benefit - cost analysis:
- Ongoing
Provincial costs related to operation of Red Light Cameras (and stepped-up
Police Enforcement)
- including the administrative costs, such as salaries of staff, operation
of the Plate Registrant Data Requisition System and public education
related to the operation of Red Light Cameras and stepped-up Police
Enforcement;
- Municipal
costs related to operation of Red Light Cameras (and stepped-up Police
Enforcement)
including public education related to the operation of Red Light Cameras
and stepped-up Police Enforcement and the cost of photographs required for
evidence in court;
- Red
Light Camera capital costs - the cost of acquiring the Red Light Cameras and preparing the
evaluation study sites for their use;
- Municipal
Joint Processing Centre capital costs - all capital costs associated with the
Municipal Joint Processing Centre established at the beginning of the
Pilot Project for the purposes of reviewing photographs associated with
Red Light running offences recorded by Red Light Cameras;
- Red
Light Camera operating costs - the cost of operating the Red Light Cameras;
- Municipal
Joint Processing Centre operating costs - all operating costs associated with the
processing of photo sets at the Municipal Joint Processing Centre;
- Fine revenue and fine dispositions imposed - the value of Red Light running fines imposed by means of a Red Light running ticket produced as a result of a Red Light Camera or a police officer recording a Red Light running violation at an evaluation study site, this is calculated as a negative (recovered) cost;
- Court processing costs - all costs associated with the prosecution of Red Light running offences; and,
·
Stepped-up Police Enforcement costs - all costs associated with carrying out stepped-up
Police Enforcement
deployments.
Exhibit 3 summarizes the net benefits and costs associated with the first two
years of the Pilot Project at the forty-eight evaluation study sites.
|
EXIBIT 3 ESTIMATED NET BENEFITS AND COSTS 20 NOVEMBER 2000 – 19 NOVEMBER 2002 |
|
|
Estimated net benefits and costs1 |
|
|
Total Net Benefits4 |
$1,613,766 |
|
Total Net Costs |
$1,026,805 |
|
Benefit-to-Cost Ratio |
1.57 |
|
Notes: 1 The benefits
and costs were calculated based on only the forty-eight study sites included
in this evaluation 4The $3,775,425 in fatal and injury
collisions avoided is offset by a gain in property damage only collisions of $2,161,659, yielding a total net benefit
of $1,613,766 as shown in Exhibit 3. |
|
Interpretation of Results
The benefit-to-cost ratio is 1.57. Based on these findings, the Red Light Camera Pilot Project has been shown to be economically viable, given that the social cost of collisions avoided exceeds the amount invested in the treatments at the forty-eight evaluation study sites. The EB analysis shows that an estimated forty-seven fatal and injury collisions were avoided as a result of the treatments, valued at $3,775,4254. Based on this, the Pilot Project has been shown to be a valid safety program for the Province of Ontario, having achieved the objective of reducing fatal and injury collisions.
4 The $3,775,425 in fatal and injury collisions avoided
is offset by a gain in property damage only collisions of $2,161,659, yielding
a total net benefit of $1,613,766 as shown in Exhibit 3.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Based on the
results presented in this report, the Red Light Camera Pilot Project has been
shown to be an effective tool in reducing fatal and injury collisions, thereby
preventing injuries and saving lives.
For these reasons, it is the opinion of the Evaluation Study Team that
the Pilot Project has been worthwhile and would continue to be of benefit to
any participating Municipality.
It is recommended that collisions continue to be monitored and examined on a yearly basis to validate that the trend continues as presented in the evaluation study results.
ANNEX 3
Summary of City of Ottawa Supplementary
“Before and After” Collision Analysis
Only five of the
eight City of Ottawa Red Light Camera sites were used in the Provincial “before
and after” safety evaluation. Therefore,
a supplementary collision frequency analysis was conducted, using the same
“before and after” periods as the Provincial safety evaluation. This supplementary analysis was conducted to
determine:
a) The impact on
collisions at all eight City of Ottawa Red Light Camera sites; and;
b) The collision trend at all other signalized intersections within the City of Ottawa during the same “before and after” period.
The results of this supplementary analysis are shown in the following Table.
COLLISION FREQUENCY COMPARISON – OTTAWA(Signalized Intersections Only) |
||||||
|
Category of Collision |
All Signalized
Intersections |
Red Light Camera Locations |
||||
|
“Before” (1995–1999) |
“After” (2000–2002) |
Percent Change |
“Before” (1995-1999) |
“After” (2000-2002) |
Percent Change |
|
|
All |
4220 |
4646 |
+10% |
149 |
134 |
-11% |
|
Right-Angle |
902 |
840 |
-7% |
41 |
28 |
-32% |
|
Rear End |
1497 |
1840 |
+23% |
62 |
61 |
-2% |
The results indicate an overall reduction of 11% in the total number of collisions at the City of Ottawa’s eight Red Light Camera locations. In addition, a 32% reduction in angle-type collisions was documented. This is especially encouraging as angle-type collisions generally involve side impact and consequently result in severe injury or death. The fact that the number of rear end collisions remained virtually unchanged at the eight Red Light Camera locations can also be viewed as a positive indication, as trends in other cities around the world that have been using this technology generally demonstrate an increase in rear end collisions.
ANNEX 4
Ottawa Police Services Board Disposition of 23 June
2003
(Letter to Ontario Transportation Minister)
