We’ve all seen it before, speeding in school zones, and even illegal passes during school bus crossings, and now the City of Brampton is looking to start cracking down.

In 2017 the Province of Ontario passed Bill 65, the Safer School Zone Act, giving cities permission to use Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE), or photo radar, to improve traffic safety.

ASE works similarly to red light cameras. Instead of having police monitor school zones and community safety zones, cameras would automatically record reckless driving and speeding and send a fine directly to the driver.

A few things worked out before ASE is implemented. For starters, the actual tech hasn’t been purchased, but the city is likely to put forward a joint request for proposal with the City of Toronto and other municipalities.

There are also some technicalities that need to be cleared up, including across-the-board enforcement thresholds for cities who will use ASE. Currently, some cities have a zero-tolerance policy for speeding in school and community zones, while others have set tolerances above the speed limit. Cities will look to the province to set standards.

Other details like service levels, driver education, and enforcement will need to be established before the technology can go live.

A rollout timeline for photo radar in Brampton hasn’t been revealed yet.

What do you think of the city’s decision to put cameras in school zones? Let us know in the comments below.

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