ROCKWOOD – Heavy-footed drivers in Rockwood could get nabbed by new speed cameras starting July 16.
The cameras go live along Main Street North (Wellington Road 27) as part of Wellington County’s year-long automated enforcement pilot program that began in January.
Cameras will capture speeders travelling above the 40km/h limit through a community safety zone in either direction, starting 30 metres west of Rockmosa Drive, and up to 20 metres past Edgar Bonner Avenue.
Rockwood didn’t originally meet criteria for automated speed enforcement when potential safety zones were explored by the county.
With Sacred Heart Catholic School on the road, however, the Main Street section was included when the county created safety zones for 14 total schools last year.
The new enforcement location falls within Ward 3, Guelph/Eramosa councillor Steven Liebig’s constituency.
Liebig said the county is tackling speeding issues the right way with automated enforcement, but he added the cameras will be met with “mixed reviews” in Rockwood.
He couldn’t recall specific resident complaints about the stretch of road, but said he hopes the cameras will deter speeders.
Vehicle speeds along the road analyzed between Aug. 8 and 14 last year were largely found to be above the speed limit.
“That’s a busy stretch of road,” said county roads committee chair Gregg Davidson.
He told the Advertiser the county is seeing “strong results” with falling vehicle speeds across six other locations where the cameras are currently being used, and the same is expected in Rockwood.
Data captured between Jan. 15 and May 31 shows vehicle speeds have decreased by an average of 17 per cent across five locations where cameras are installed.
A total of 115,181 tickets have been issued during that time period.
Paid tickets have generated $6.5 million as of April, with the county’s share amounting to nearly $2.5 million.
The pilot runs to the end of the year.
