Newmarket council celebrated data showing that average speeds have dropped 10 km/hr in areas with automated speed cameras.
Staff presented data from the new program between October 2024 and April 2025 at a May 26 meeting, highlighting that average speeds have dropped from 47 km/h to 37 km/h where the cameras have been implemented .
Newmarket Councillor Kelly Broome said people do not like tickets, but the program gets results.
“It works. That’s what I hear the most, is that this really works,” she said.
Newmarket council implemented the program to address speeding concerns in the community. A total of 14 cameras were installed across all seven wards, specifically in school zones, resulting in an average speed reduction of 23 per cent in those areas. The program has issued 13,709 tickets as of April 30, 2025.
Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said the program is able to achieve a lot more than other anti-speeding measures at the town’s disposal, such as bollards and line painting.
“We do a lot around speed mitigation,” he said. “They’re helpful, but none of them can touch what this program achieves … I know everybody who has ever walked their child to school would like the idea of 10 km/h slower at that school.”
The report does not include any detail regarding revenue collected through tickets, though the town has said any proceeds would fund the program and other transportation initiatives. The fines are variable based on how much a speeder goes over the speed limit.
Prior to staff’s presentation on the program, town council held a private session lasting approximately 90 minutes. Included in the private session agenda were two items related to speed enforcement.
When asked for details on ticket recipients, director of legislative services Lisa Lyons said that about 47 per cent of the tickets are being sent to residents, versus 53 per cent being sent to out of towners.
Councillor Christina Bisanz said there is some assumption that speeding is predominantly out-of-towners.
“If we can change behaviour at home first, we’ll be really making significant advances,” she said.
Council tentatively approved a recommendation allowing staff to collect one full year of data, with a report back to council in early 2026.
Taylor said he understands why some people dislike the program given the tickets, but it is leading to changing behaviour.
“This is an incredibly significant step forward for this community,” he said. “It’s a phenomenal result.”
