Here is another thread for you to comment on.
What are some of the local issues in Barrie and Simcoe County?
Here is one on photo radar in school zones to get you started.
http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/2017/04/27/school-zones-could-be-safer
What are the ethics behind photo radar? Does video policing infringe on our rights?
What about the comment our mayor Jeff Lehman makes on red light cameras in the article? What are issues involved with these cameras?
You could also choose your own topic. Remember to follow the criteria outlined and please remind your classmates to post.
Photo Radar
ReplyDeletePhoto radar is a way of capturing speeding vehicles, even if there is no police around. This week, Queens park standing committee discussing a proposed law called the Safer School Zones Act. This law would allow municipalities to use photo radar, this is because they believe it would help make school districts safer. Barrie’s mayor, Jeff Leeman stated that he thinks that it is a good idea, and the he thinks “any tool that can help with safety is worth looking at.”. Premier Kathleen Wynne stated “Our intent is to give municipalities more tools to help keep people safe on our roads”. Under the legislation, towns and cities would be able to use cameras to photograph speeders’ licence plates and mail the vehicle holder a ticket, introduce reduced speed-limit zones to decrease collisions between vehicles and pedestrians, and install red-light cameras to make intersections safer. School zone safety has been in the news recently due to a 6 year old boy being hit near his school in scarborough, this law would, in theory, make this situation much less likely.
Most people are in agreement with this law, however, some people believe that this bill would violate the right of a citizen to remain anonymous, and some people believe that photo radar is only a scheme for the government to get money. However, the government has stated that any money that is gained due to tickets using photo radar would remain in the municipality. Many people believe that photo radar is a breach of privacy, which would be a large problem. The question becomes, is the safety of children or a person's right to remain anonymous more important. Arguments for the bill state that the children should be the number one priority, and that with this bill, it would free up police officers from using radar guns so that they could move on to deal with more pressing matters. Barrie police stated that they would support any bill that is passed provincially that encourages safety on roads.
Jeff Leeman stated that “From my point of view, the goal must be to increase safety” This shows the public that he would be willing to look past potential privacy breaches, for the safety of future children.
Personally I am in support with this bill. I believe that any privacy infringement would be a much smaller issue than having children’s safety put in danger. This bill would allow Barrie’s police to look to more pressing matters, and would help to make roads safer. This bill may end up costing a large amount to get started, but I believe that over time, it would make up it’s own value through tickets. Even if it doesn’t pay for itself, I believe that it is a necessary step in the protection of children, and the safety of the roads. People that are worried about their privacy being breached are delivered a clear message, don’t speed in school zones! A study way released that reported that, over a 12 year period, 411 children in the area’s they studied were hit by cars within 200 meters of the school. This is a surprisingly large number to me, and is why I believe that this bill should be passed.
Sources
http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/2017/04/27/school-zones-could-be-safer
https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2016/11/08/photo-radars-are-coming-back-near-ontario-schools-wynne-says.html
http://www.sense.bc.ca/oppose.htm
Extremely detailed, love the quotes, great sources. The only thing I would suggest is indentations at the beginning of your paragraphs. 411 children hit by cars is an extremely high number, and if there is a way to reduce it, I am in!
DeleteThat is such a large number of children hit by cars that could be prevented with this technology. As you said, I think the safety and lives of these children and other people at risk are so much more important. At the end of the day, if this new technology will be helpful, then it is a good idea.
DeleteBarrie’s Renting Cost
ReplyDeleteBarrie is one of the most expensive places to rent out of, in Canada. Barrie having expensive living costs will prevent our own people from living among us. Most immigrants have a lot more money than we do, it will come to a time where immigrants will buy out the Canadians. The government has just recently placed a tax on immigrant house purchasing, but is there a tax on renting?
The next step that the government should take, should be to create more apartments, or raise and expand pre existing apartments. Canadians will have lower rent costs because of the higher supply. The demand will be decreased and after that, immigrants and Canadians can live in harmony.
Finally, this helps the fact that house prices are going up by nearly 50% in one year. With lots of renting space available for a cheap cost, our homeless rate will go down, our morale will be boosted, and stress relief will be a great pleasure.
https://www.simcoe.com/news-story/4915654-5-issues-barrie-s-next-council-needs-to-tackle/
http://barrie.ctvnews.ca/barrie-among-the-most-expensive-places-in-canada-to-rent-an-apartment-report-1.3326498
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/soin.12080/abstract
Good points. You mentioned that Barrie is one of the most expensive cities to rent out in Canada. What are some other very expensive ones, and are their housing prices also very expensive?
DeletePhoto radar does not infringe on anyone’s rights. According to the article, photos of license plates would only be taken if the car is detected to be speeding in a safe zone. In other words, the only time when a picture would be taken is if you are breaking the law. If you don’t want your license plate to be photographed, then don’t endanger children by speeding in a school zone. Anyone can see your license plate when you drive on a public street anyways.
ReplyDeleteIn the article, Jeff Lehman comments that red-light cameras incur extra costs to the court system, and that photo radar would likely do the same. However in the same article, Toronto Mayor John Tory said that implementation of photo radar would likely reduce police costs due to less officers being needed to use traditional radar guns. If photo radar can reduce police costs in Toronto, then it stands to reason that the same thing could happen here. In other words, the money spent by the court system would likely be made up by the money saved by the police. And even if the savings don’t completely cover the costs, the safety of pedestrians should validate any remaining cost.
Despite the argument of costs, other sources indicate that photo radar would actually being in more money due to an increase of people being caught and fined. Because of these fines, some people (the NDP) believe that the photo radar exists only to bring in money, and that the safety of pedestrians in an afterthought for politicians. However, the fine for speeding isn’t anything new. The money that you pay after getting caught by photo radar isn’t some unneeded tax thought up by a rich politician to put money in his pockets, it’s a fine that’s been around for years. The only difference with photo radar is that you have a higher chance of getting caught.
http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/2017/04/27/school-zones-could-be-safer
https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2016/11/08/photo-radars-are-coming-back-near-ontario-schools-wynne-says.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/photo-radar-debate-social-media-1.3510267
I agree with your view on this. A person's liscense plate is always on display, so it's not against anyone's rights for the police to use photo radar as a more affective method to keep pedestrians safe.
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