150 km/h over the limit tops list of highest speeds recorded by cameras in Brampton

Automated cameras have caught drivers speeding up to four times over the limit in 50 km/h and 40 km/h zones in Brampton, and one city councillor is calling on the province to find a “middle ground” with municipalities amid an upcoming Ontario-wide ban.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford plans to introduce legislation that could ban all automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras across the province, and with the legislature sitting again on Monday, Brampton City Coun. Rowena Santos is urging Ford to meet with municipal leaders before taking action.

Ford has called ASE programs a “cash grab” following a petition in Brampton that urged the program be scrapped, and announced plans for a ban just weeks after Brampton finished installing over 100 new cameras.

And while Ford has railed against drivers being ticketed for going a few kilometres over posted limits, data from the city shows the 10 highest speeds recorded by ASE cameras in Brampton were in 40 km/h or 50 km/h zones and were all close to or higher than 100 km/h over the limit.

Speed cameras only issue tickets to drivers going 11 km/h above the limit in Brampton.

The fastest driver recorded by an ASE camera in Brampton was at McVean Drive north of Tappet Drive, clocked at 200 km/h in a 50 km/h zone – a speed that could come with stunting and speeding charges, as well as a vehicle impound and a licence suspension.

Here are the 10 highest speeds recorded by ASE cameras in Brampton:

1. McVean Drive north of Tappet Drive – 200 km/h.
2. Heart Lake Road north of Copperfield Road – 186 km/h.
3. Clarkway Drive south of Castle Oaks – 172 km/h.
4. Cottrelle Boluevard east of Valleycreek Drive – 153 km/h.
5. Worthington Avenue south of Spencer Drive – 143 km/h.
6. Financial Drive north of Plentwood Drive – l142 km/h.
7. Rutherford Road North south of Madoc Drive – 139 km/h.
8. Central Park Drive north of Hanover Road – 137 km/h.
9. North Park Drive south of Nuttal Street – 137 km/h.
10. Central Park Drive east of Goldcrest Road – 137 km/h.

“There’s a reasonable middle ground,” Santos said in a release about the ban. “Brampton and other municipalities implemented this public safety tool correctly.”

She has called on Ford to spare ASE cameras in school zones from any possible bans. The city has also launched a new write-in campaign for residents to urge local MPs and Ford to cancel the ban.

“Brampton is very close to getting this right,” Santos added. “The challenge now is not to abandon what works, but to find a solution that maintains safety while addressing legitimate concerns.”

Ontario launched its Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) camera program in 2019, and has since seen many municipalities install cameras as a safety and traffic-calming tool.