Automatic Speed Enforcement cameras officially authorized in Shelburne

March 20, 2025 · 0 Comments

Written By PAULA BROWN

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

Drivers travelling through Shelburne will want to keep a close eye on their speed or they could find themselves facing a hefty fine.

Shelburne Town Council officially authorized the implementation of a new automated speed enforcement (ASE) program during their meeting on March 10.

“Speeding on roads remains a concern and it’s hoped that implementing this program will promote compliance with the Highway Traffic Act and will change driver behaviour,” said Jennifer Willoughby, director of legislative services for the Town of Shelburne.

Automated Speed Enforcement is a traffic calming program that captures an image of a vehicle when it exceeds the posted speed limit in a designated area. The image is reviewed by a Provincial Offences Officer, who then issues a ticket to the registered owner of the vehicle.

The automated speed enforcement program is part of the Town of Shelburne’s efforts to address speeding concerns on community streets, which have been raised by residents for many years.

More recently, the Town of Shelburne implemented traffic calming measures, including digital radar speed signs, enhanced crosswalk signage, expansion of designated/marked on-street parking, flexible bollards for seasonal lane delineation, pavement markings, and seasonal speed cushions.

In 2021, the majority of streets in Shelburne were designated as community safety zones, and Shelburne Town Council approved and passed a motion to reduce the speed limit in town, with the exception of connecting link roadways, to 40 km/h.

“It’s a response to a community that wants something to be done. The residents have shown us that those concerns about speed are legitimate based on some of the data we brought back,” said Denyse Morrissey, chief administrative officer for the Town of Shelburne.

The Town of Shelburne said they have not yet determined the official locations of the speed cameras but will base the areas on data collected from previous traffic calming reviews.

The Town of Shelburne will have a minimum of five cameras capturing data and maps will be placed with the locations on the Town’s website when they’re determined.

The threshold speeds that warrant a ticket have not yet been determined and will remain confidential. The cost of fines is in accordance with provincial standards.

The ASE cameras are only permitted for use in community safety zones or school safety zones.

“This is going to be a fairly aggressive campaign for us because of the nature of the data we have,” said Morrissey “Because we have a community that has basically four passages of entry, we tend to see local behaviour but also external behaviour from those coming through our town. We’re hoping that the presence of these units will decimate that kind of action from continuing.”

A 90-day public awareness period is required before starting the ASE program and an additional 90-day awareness signage must be posted each time the speed device is moved to a new location.

“We’ll keep them in a location for an extended period of time to determine if it changes driver behaviour. If it changes driver behaviour then we may look at relocating them,” said Willoughby.

The Town of Shelburne is expected to begin the automated speed enforcement program in September.