Photo radar on Linc & Red Hill

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Hamilton is looking to make both the Red Hill Valley Parkway and the Lincoln Alexander Expressway safer by adding among other things, photo radar cameras that would take snapshots of your license plates if you drive above the speed limit.

In a report released on Friday, since opening in 1997, the Linc has seen over 650 crashes and in the last seven years the Red Hill Valley Parkway has seen over 450 crashes or about 63 crashes per year.

The really scary stat is that everyday about 500 vehicles travel along the Red Hill, where the limit is 90km/h, at speeds over 140km/hour. 85% of vehicles travel at about 115km/h.

So the city is looking to improve both highways with short and long term improvements. The short term additions include larger speed limit signs and larger signs in general. But the one addition they’re looking at are photo radar camera or safety cameras that would work a lot like red light cameras.

The province would set a speed to which the camera will snap a photo and if you pass that it’ll take a picture and you’ll be sent a bill.

Councillor Sam Merulla thinks this would be a great way to change people’s driving habits and compared the cost benefit compared to having police offices off the side of the highway

“Well if you get police officers there the police services offered an alternative of having 5 fulltime officers. That’s an operating expense that’s pretty significant. However, when you’re dealing with photo radar it’s a one time implementation and from that day forward anytime someone breaks the law they pay a fine and we collect those fines and it pays for itself and more.”

Speaking of cost, Merulla said that some of the short term improvements, like the signs, will be paid for by the revenue made by those red light cameras, which is about $800 000.

Some of the long term improvements to the highways include rumble strips all along the Linc and a barrier system on both highways

The city will have to work with the province to work on the current Bill 99, part of the Highway Traffic Act, that says that safety cameras can only be installed alongside construction zones or community safety zones like schools.Red Hill Valley Parkway and the Lincoln Alexand

The city would have to ask for permission to extend that act to allow safety cameras alongside highways so that could take some time.

The signage however and other short term improvements, we could see those as early April of next year