The City of Toronto has nearly doubled its red light cameras as part of a plan it says is aimed at eliminating traffic death and serious injuries.

To date, 65 new cameras have been placed at intersections this year and are now operational, with another 10 to come that are still under construction or review.

The move was “an obvious opportunity” to expand Toronto’s traffic safety program, according to Myles Currie, director of the city’s Traffic Management Centre.

There were 77 locations with red light cameras prior to this year.

Currie said there’s been an average drop of 40 per cent in the number of collisions causing a death or serious injury at intersections with cameras. At some locations, there’s been no deaths or serious injuries caused by collisions since the cameras were installed.

“Whereas, traditionally, we would remove cameras and relocate them to other locations, we recommended to city council to keep the cameras from the previous phase,” he said in an emailed statement. “They continue to maintain their effectiveness at those locations and moreover, anecdotally we are seeing a halo effect of the cameras likewise serving to reduce fatal and serious injury collisions at adjacent intersections as well.”

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