Province won’t confirm timeline for possible speed cameras

Despite Coun. Tony Mancini’s comments that speed cameras could be coming to the Halifax-area in the next eight to 12 months, the Nova Scotia government says there is “no timeline.”

The possibility of speed cameras, which would be posted on highways and track speeding drivers, was brought up at a community meeting in Dartmouth on Jan. 8. Mancini says he was told by Mike Christian, director of the Traffic Safety Act implementation, who attended the meeting, that the cameras could be ready towards the end of the year. 

“They stated that they weren’t sure of the timeline but they said seven, eight months,” said Mancini in an interview. “Then I said, ‘Well, that means eight-to-12 months’ and he said, ‘Most likely, yeah.’ ” 

In the fall, the provincial government introduced the Traffic Safety Act, which authorizes the use of electronic enforcement. Photo radar, red light cameras and intersection cameras could be used to catch drivers speeding. 

Toby Koffman, communications director for the Department of Public Works, told The Signal in an email that while some aspects of the act will go immediately into force in 2026, digital technology “will be implemented over several years as we continue to work with our information technology, municipal government and policing partners.”

As for Mancini saying that the province told him that roads in Halifax could be seeing speed cameras in use by the end of the year, the province won’t confirm.

“All I can add is that there is no timeline,” says Koffman. 

HRM spokesperson Jake Fulton said in an email that the municipality also can’t provide an estimated time for implementation of speed cameras but “locations will be communicated to the public prior to any installations.” 

Mancini has advocated speed cameras and believes most people in HRM will be okay with the them. 

“The far majority of folks are supportive,” says Mancini. “They want cars to slow down.” 

Ontario abruptly stopped the use of its speed cameras in November after more than five years. The ban on enforcement cameras came despite the Region of Waterloo citing that global studies show speed cameras reduce crashes by up to 50 per cent and serious or fatal injuries by up to 44 per cent.

When the technology is ready, Mancini is interested in placing speed cameras along Waverley Road, Caledonia Road and Valleyfield Road in Dartmouth. He says he thinks most councillors have their own “long list” of roads to implement them on. 

HRM has added speed humps and speed tables to improve traffic calming mainly in residential areas. Mancini says the “real solution” to reducing speeding is speed cameras. 

“I mean, it’s black and white,” says Mancini. “If you’re speeding, you get a ticket … The intent here is not to make money. The intent here is to punish people. The intent here is to slow people down.”