As part of its ongoing commitment to road safety—especially in areas where children are out and about—King Township is launching its Community Safety Camera Program using Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) technology.
ASE systems have been installed at Western Ave. and Elmwood Ave., near St. Patrick Catholic Elementary School in Schomberg and at 19th Sideroad and Dufferin St., near the Thornton Bales Conservation Area.
These locations were selected for several reasons, including traffic data and volume, speeding data, collision history, environmental suitability and concerns from residents for traffic safety in an area where there is a vulnerable population present.
Following a grace period during which warning letters were issued until the start of the school year, Automated Speed Enforcement is now active. Drivers caught speeding in these community safety zones will be fined.
Pay or Dispute Your Speed Camera Ticket Online
Higher speeds lead to higher injury severity in a collision. See the image below that demonstrates how speed can increase fatalities in collisions.
Adapted version of pedestrian survival rate by vehicle speed, by the World Health Organization, 2009
Frequently Asked Questions
Have a question related to King Township’s Community Safety Camera program (also known as Automated Speed Enforcement)? See the list of frequently asked questions and answers below for more information.
King Township’s Community Safety Camera program uses Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) - an automated system that uses a camera and a speed measurement device to detect and capture images of vehicles travelling more than the posted speed limit.
If vehicles are caught travelling over the speed limit, the speed camera will automatically capture an image of the vehicle. The images are reviewed by Provincial Offences Officers and then within 30 days a ticket is issued to the owner of the vehicle. This means that the plate holder, as opposed to the driver, receives a ticket, which results in a monetary penalty but no demerit points.
To increase road safety for vulnerable populations, ASE systems have been placed in Community Safety Zones. Locations were selected through a data-driven approach that considers proximity to vulnerable users, vehicle speed and collision data, and where the speed limit is less than 80km/h. These locations have also been approved by King Township Council.
The first ASE system has been installed at Western Ave. and Elmwood Ave., near St. Patrick Catholic Elementary School in Schomberg and will be activated on August 11. A second camera will be installed by September at 19th Sideroad and Dufferin St., near the Thornton Bales Conservation Area; an exact date will be shared with the public once confirmed.
Municipalities around the world, have relied on Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) as a speed enforcement tool with great success. The use of ASE systems has resulted in better speed compliance, fewer collisions and less severity in the collisions that do occur.
For example, a study completed in 2022 of ASE sites within the City of Toronto showed that the proportion of people speeding in 30, 40 and 50 km/h speed limit zones dropped from approximately 60% to 43%, 51% to 30% and 58% to 36% respectively when the speed camera devices were operational. This represents an overall 45% reduction in the proportion of people speeding in areas with an ASE device.ASE is one of several successful road safety measures and is designed to work in tandem with other methods used to enforce speed limits including engineering activities, education initiatives and police enforcement.
All speed cameras will be placed in Community Safety Zones that are typically near schools to further protect vulnerable residents and children who are travelling to and from the area. “Coming Soon” signage are now in place to warn, remind and educate the public to drive within the posted limit.
A Community Safety Zone is an area that has an increased risk to pedestrians. Traffic-related offences committed within the zone are subject to increased fines. Community Safety Zones are designated through a bylaw by Council.
Tickets will be issued within 30 days of the offence. The ticket will be mailed to the registered licence plate holder on file with the Province of Ontario. Tickets issued (Penalty Order) and the dispute process will be completed in-house through King Township’s Administrative Monetary Penalty By-law (AMPS). This means that the tickets and fines are not processed through the Provincial Courts. The penalty is only a fine and no demerit points will be issued.
Penalty Amounts
The Province of Ontario regulates and sets the fine amounts for Automated Speed Enforcement (Regulation 355/22). The total fine is made up of three components and is calculated as follows:
(1) Set Penalty Amount + (2) Victims' Justice Fund + (3) MTO Search Fee
See below for more information on penalty amounts set by the Province of Ontario:
(1) Set Penalty Amounts
Kilometres per hour over the maximum speed limit
Penalty Rate
1 to 19 kilometres per hour over the maximum speed limit
$5 per kilometre
20 to 29 kilometres per hour over the maximum speed limit
$7.50 kilometre
30 to 49 kilometres per hour over the maximum speed limit
$12 per kilometre
50 kilometres per hour or more over the maximum speed limit
$19.50 per kilometre
(2) Victims' Justice Fund
Note: The Victim's Justice Fund is determined by the fine amount noted in table (1). For more information on the Victims' Justice Fund, please visit the Province of Ontario's webpage.
Amount determined in Table (1)
Victims' Justice Fund Amount
$0 - $50
$10
$51 - $75
$15
$76 - $100
$20
$101 - $150
$25
$151 - $200
$35
$201 - $250
$50
$251 - $300
$60
$301 - $350
$75
$351 - $400
$85
$401 - $450
$95
$451 - $500
$110
$501 - $1000
$125
Note: if the penalty amount is greater than $1,000, the amount allocated to the Victim's Justice Fund is 25 percent of that amount
(3) MTO Search Fee - $8.25
This is the cost incurred by the Township to access the name and address of the vehicle owner from the Ministry of Transportation.
You can request to dispute your ticket within 30 calendar days of receiving the ticket in the mail through the online portal.
King Township uses the Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS) to administer and adjudicate Automated Speed Enforcement tickets (called Penalty Orders).
Since the enactment of the Safer School Zones Act, 2017, the Ontario Traffic Council has been working with interested municipalities alongside the Ministry of Transportation Ontario through an Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) Working Group to implement ASE in Ontario. Bill 65 permits the use of ASE in community safety zones where the speed limit is less than 80 km/h.
In 2024, King Township Council approved an ASE Program that would introduce speed cameras in Community Safety Zones across Township to help reduce speeds, collisions, injuries and fatalities.
ASE is a tool for municipalities to use to improve road safety. This system is proven to reduce speeds in Community Safety Zones, which include schools, where there are persistent complaints about unsafe driver behaviour.
Tickets and fines will be processed in-house through Township's Administrative Monetary Penalty System which is more efficient for the Township and drivers than doing so through the Provincial Court System.
The funds collected from the Community Safety Camera Program will be used to offset the cost to run the program and to keep the community even safer. As driver behaviour changes and vehicles start to slow down in Community Safety Zones, the funds generated by the Program are anticipated to decrease as well. The potential funds that could be generated by this program will be used to support safe streets, active transportation and other community initiatives.
King Township is implementing these Community Safety Cameras in Community Safety Zones to curb speeding, alter driver behaviour and increase safety for the community.
Speeds within these zones are typically lower than other road segments, however, the risks are much higher. Speeding around schools puts the lives of our most vulnerable people an unnecessary risk and ASE is designed to slow drivers down and keep our community safe.
Community Safety Cameras (also known as Automated Speed Enforcement) is one of many strategies used to improve safety in places with people who are at risk, such as School Zones and Community Safety Zones. It has been demonstrated that automated speed enforcement can effectively enforce speed limits, improve driver awareness and reduce pedestrian injury and fatalities.
Higher speeds lead to higher injury severity in a collision. See the image below that demonstrates how speed can increase fatalities in collisions.
Adapted version of pedestrian survival rate by vehicle speed, by the World Health Organization, 2009
Several other cities across North America have utilized automated speed enforcement as a tool with great success. The use of automated speed enforcement has resulted in better speed compliance, fewer collisions and less severity in the collisions that do occur.
After the cameras capture an image of a vehicle exceeding the speed limit, the image is sent to a Provincial Offences Officer. The ticket, which contains a digitized copy of the image and an enlargement of the license plate image, is mailed to the registered plate owner. On conviction, the penalty is a fine and no demerit points are applied.
No. This is not a video-based system. Only a still image of the motor vehicle and license plate is captured.
Yes, the ticket issued will include vehicle details including an image of the vehicle and license plate. The image does not capture the driver, only the vehicle, as these contraventions are against the vehicle owner.
The data collected by the Automated Speed Enforcement system is encrypted and stored on a secure device, then transferred through a cloud-based data transfer to the Processing Centre. Only a Provincial Offences Officer has access to the system and only the ASE image processing software can use the encrypted data. Once the data has been downloaded, all recorded data on the storage unit is erased.
There is no maximum number of tickets a vehicle can receive. A ticket may be issued to the registered plate owner each time their vehicle exceeds the speed limit in an automated speed enforcement-enforced Community Safety Zone. The best way to avoid receiving a ticket is to drive at or below the posted speed limit.
No. Since the ticket is issued to the registered owner and not the driver, no demerit points or license suspension can be applied. However, unpaid fines may affect renewal of your license plate at the Ministry of Transportation.
Information gathered by the Township's Community Safety Camera program is confidential and will not be disclosed to insurance companies.
Community Safety Camera tickets (Penalty Orders) are mailed out via regular mail to the vehicle's registered owner within 30 days of the contravention.
All tickets are mailed to the registered plate owner within 23 calendar days of the contravention. The ticket is deemed received in the mail seven (7) calendar days after the day on which it was mailed. You have 30 days from the "deemed received" date to pay or dispute your ticket.
Like failing to stop for a red light when detected by a red-light camera system, or parking infractions, legislation – known as vehicle owner liability – does not allow for the capture of images of individuals who are driving through automated speed enforcement-enforced School Zones and Community Safety Zones. Therefore, given restrictions on capturing images of individuals, including vehicle passengers, vehicle owner liability results in the registered plate holder receiving the ticket.
If someone receives a ticket, the options will be included in more detail on the ticket. However, there are two basic options:
1. Pay the fine according to the instructions on the ticket.
2. Request to dispute the fine.Pay Your Fine or File a Dispute Here
It is important to note that if one of the options is not exercised within 30 days of receiving the ticket, it will be deemed that the registered plate holder does not wish to dispute the charge and the ticket is upheld. If the fine remains unpaid after 30 days it will go to into default (also known as plate denial). An additional administrative fee will be added by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) and the vehicle owner will need to pay the fine and all additional charges at the MTO office prior to renewing their vehicle permit.
Most rental agreements include a clause that enables rental agencies to pass any fines incurred to the driver.
Fines issued within Community Safety Zones are the same regardless of the time of day. The Township's Community Safety Cameras are active 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
You can:
•Pay online using one of these payment methods: Visa, MasterCard or American Express (debit is not accepted online).
•Pay in-person using credit, debit or cash at the King Township Municipal Office during regular business hours.
•Pay by mail** using a cheque or money order payable to:
King Township, 2585 King Road, King City, ON, L7B 1A1**If paying by mail, you must be sure to leave enough time for delivery to avoid incurring additional fees.
Unpaid fines will be sent to the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) office where the registered plate owner will need to pay prior to renewing their licence plate (often referred to as plate denial). Additional administrative fees will apply.
The funds collected from the Community Safety Camera Program will be used to offset the cost to run the program and to support traffic safety initiatives, including traffic calming and other road safety improvements.
At this time the cameras will be stationed at the two locations until further notice.
While traditional enforcement will still be used, speed cameras are a complementary method that enables police officers to focus on other critical and time-sensitive tasks. Through this program, incidents of speeding can be detected on an ongoing and consistent basis, ensuring that school children and other road users feel safe, not just during traffic blitzes. Using speed cameras consistently also lends to altering driver behaviour for ongoing road safety.
Yes. Since the automated speed enforcement system is automated, it is triggered by any motor vehicle exceeding the speed limit in a community safety zone.
However, the Highway Traffic Act provides exemptions for emergency vehicles if they are responding to an emergency or in the course of duty. These tickets will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis in compliance with the legislation. Emergency vehicles can also dispute a ticket through the same process as any other ticket, if necessary. The exemption can be found under section 128 (13) of the Act.Speed limits are not guidelines – they are the law. Driving at, or below, the posted limit will ensure you do not get a ticket.
The goal of the program is for vehicle operators to see a Community Safety Zone sign and follow the posted speed limit in these designated areas. Therefore, the Township recommends that vehicle operators drive at or below the posted speed limit when driving through Community Safety Zones to ensure that they will not receive a ticket.No. Employees operating Township vehicles must obey speed limits and will be ticketed just like any other vehicle.
- In 2016, Quebec reported average speeds reduced by 13.3 km/h and collisions reduced by 15% to 42% at automated speed enforcement sites.
- Saskatchewan saw an overall reduction of speed in school areas. The average speed fell by 17% and speed related casualty collisions fell by 63%, which resulted in 51% fewer injuries. 56% of Saskatchewan residents wanted the automated speed enforcement program to continue, with 93% of them wanting the program to expand.
- New York City saw speeding reduced by 63% and pedestrian injuries reduced by 23% in automated speed enforcement areas.
The speed measurement radar on the cameras is calibrated and tested to ensure accuracy in capturing the speed of a moving motorized vehicle.