Today the City of Vancouver followed the lead of the City of Victoria by calling on the Province to expand its successful Intersection Safety Camera program, by passing the motion “Creating Safer Streets for People of All Ages with Intersection Safety Cameras.” Vision Zero Vancouver applauds the move and calls on the Province to swiftly expand the Intersection Safety Cameras program, and to dedicate all collected revenues to fund safe streets infrastructure projects.
Unfortunately, the impact was diminished by Councilor Brian Montague of ABC, who made amendments that steer the city away from action and towards more bureaucracy. His amendment directs city staff to identify high-risk intersections, apparently unwilling to ask a staff member, or conduct an internet search, to know that the city is already studying this in detail. The amendment also directs staff to engage in broad consultations and report back in a year, wasting finite city resources and time when the city already has a large backlog of unfunded road safety improvements.
Automated enforcement cameras are an effective, evidence-based way to significantly reduce the risk of fatality or serious injury at Vancouver’s most dangerous intersections. They are extremely cost-effective, with a benefit-to-cost ratio estimated to exceed 10 to 11. They can be installed quickly while additional safe streets infrastructure is planned and built. The reductions in insurance and health care costs exceed the cost of camera installation and operation, even without accounting for revenue from fines2.
The original motion asked the Province to expand an existing program, with no municipal funding or staff labour commitments. It had widespread support, with Vancouver Coastal Health, the entire team of VGH trauma physicians, MADD Canada, and various school PACs enthusiastically endorsing it. Montague’s amendments disrespect Vancouver taxpayers, impeding safe streets implementation by requiring slow and costly studies instead of reading existing studies.
“Safe streets and zero pedestrian deaths are a policy home run for all governments. Not dying is very popular. ABC campaigned on reducing red tape, but today they increased red tape and enabled red light running. Every day car crashes injure 22 people just in Vancouver – how much longer does Ken Sim want to wait?” asked Nathan Hawkins, a volunteer with Vision Zero Vancouver. “We don’t need more studies. Effective government isn’t afraid to implement fast when appropriate.”
This is another example of this Council compromising on safety, following the motions on Cornwall Ave and the Broadway Active Transportation lanes. These decisions ignored safety and injury without any explanation to the public. Roads are a core service and road safety is a core responsibility of Council, one which would have been furthered by passing this motion unaltered.
“Vancouver is falling behind on safety,” said Vision Zero Vancouver volunteer Jade Buchanan. “You are 60% more likely to be killed in a car crash in Vancouver than you are in Toronto or even Edmonton. The council majority who proposed nothing on safety to date says we need ‘all hands on deck’, then immediately abdicates responsibility and hands it off to staff.”
Vision Zero Vancouver will continue to enthusiastically support actions that make our streets safer, but we cannot give credit to those who wrote an amendment that aims to prevent fewer injuries and fatalities and cost more than the original motion. The responsibility for the excess casualties on roads and the emotional damage to families and friends lies heavily on the politicians with the power to prevent these deaths, and we demand that those in power, including the municipal, provincial, and federal government, step up to address the carnage on our streets.
We call on the Province to listen to the public and expand the Intersection Safety Cameras Program throughout the Province, prioritizing high-casualty intersections and intersections near schools. Further, we call on the Province to direct all revenue from intersection safety cameras to safe infrastructure directly through the existing British Columbia Vision Zero in Road Safety Grant Program.
References:
- Beaton, M. D., Oakey, M., Newhouse, E., Copley, T. T., Fyfe, M., Karbakhsh, M., Turcotte, K., Zheng, A., & Pike, I. (2022). Critical elements of public acceptance and support for automated speed enforcement in British Columbia, Canada. Journal of Transport & Health, 26, 101461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2022.101461
- Chen, G. (2005). Safety and Economic Impacts of Photo Radar Program. Traffic Injury Prevention, 6(4), 299–307. https://doi.org/10.1080/15389580500253729
About: Vision Zero Vancouver is a volunteer citizen advocacy group working to end traffic crashes resulting in death and serious injury in the Lower Mainland. We advocate for traffic safety changes, with an emphasis on safe-street design, diverse transportation options, and the prioritization of human life above motorist convenience.
Media Inquiries: contact@visionzerovancouver.ca | Twitter and Instagram: @visionzeroyvr
Vision Zero Vancouver 