Traffic tickets up 155% after revenue move:
12-15-2008, 11:13 PM
#1
Race Director
Thread Starter
Traffic tickets up 155% after revenue move:
Coincidence??? Ha!
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Traffic...646/story.html
Traffic tickets up 155% after revenue move: report
Provincial auditor general doesn’t cite city in conflict, but hands information to attorney general
By Lee Greenberg December 14, 2008
TORONTO • Over the past decade, the number of traffic tickets issued by Ottawa police has skyrocketed, jumping by a bigger margin than any other municipality in Ontario, according to the province’s auditor general.
The rise roughly coincides with the transfer of traffic ticket revenues to the city, a potential conflict the auditor raises in his annual report released this week at Queen’s Park.
The figures show that between 1999, when the transfer began — Ottawa was granted control of its revenue from tickets in 2001 — and 2007, the number of tickets issued by Ottawa Police under the Provincial Offences Act increased by 155 per cent.
That increase is by far the biggest in the province.
The second-biggest jump is a 95 per cent increase in York. Toronto had the third-highest increase, at 78 per cent. Beyond those three, increases in all other municipalities are 50 per cent or lower.
Jim McCarter’s 2008 report investigated the issue to see if the “new revenue-generating powers might have influenced municipalities’ charging practices.”
Ultimately, however, he never pronounced judgment on the issue. Instead, he says he raised the subject with the province’s attorney general.
“It’s not up to us to say whether it’s good or bad,” Mr. McCarter said in an interview. “We said to the ministry we think you should be aware of this so you know the impact of your policy change.”
An Ottawa police spokesman attributed the steep rise in tickets to a heightened emphasis on road safety. Staff Sgt. Rock Lavigne says residents of the city identified speeding and aggressive driving as two of their top three priority issues in a 2002 survey. The police responded to this, he says, by allotting 18 additional officers to the force’s traffic enforcement and escort section, making it a 42-member team.
“You can see a spike at that time in the number of tickets,” said Staff Sgt. Lavigne. Indeed, figures show tickets jumped by nearly one-third, rising to 119,000 from roughly 91,000, in the first full year the unit was at its higher complement of officers.
(The number of fatalities, serious injuries and collisions all fell that same year. All three categories subsequently bounced back, however, and were higher in 2007 than they were prior to the increased allotment.)
Revenue generated from tickets goes into the city’s general revenue stream after a small portion is remitted to the province, according to officials.
West Carleton-March Councillor Eli El-Chantiry, a member of the city’s police services board, denies there is anything nefarious behind the increase in ticketing. Mr. El-Chantiry, who became a councillor in 2003, says the city was years ahead of the province in realizing it needed to clamp down on speeders.
“How could it be a cash grab?” he said. “Instead of looking at it half empty, why don’t you look at it half full? It saves some people’s lives. Have you ever been in those situations where you see a car go 140, 150 km/h and then it wipes out and kills (a) passenger? How many young people do we want to lose before we are stopping these people?”
Mr. McCarter says as an auditor, he is suspicious by nature. He says both scenarios — either that the city is behind the rise in traffic tickets, or that it is driven by genuine road safety concerns — are plausible.
However, he noted that in “some places, like Mississauga, there’s no change at all.”
“(Somewhere) like Ottawa, compared with the way it was in 1999, there are certainly a lot more charges being laid under the Provincial Offenses Act now that it’s under the municipality .... And there’s a lot more revenue associated with that, too.”
Staff Sgt. Lavigne says another explanation for the rise in tickets is growth in the city. Police jurisdiction expanded in 2001 to include Goulbourn, Cumberland, Kanata, West Carleton, Rideau, Osgoode and the Village of Rockcliffe Park.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Traffic...646/story.html
Traffic tickets up 155% after revenue move: report
Provincial auditor general doesn’t cite city in conflict, but hands information to attorney general
By Lee Greenberg December 14, 2008
TORONTO • Over the past decade, the number of traffic tickets issued by Ottawa police has skyrocketed, jumping by a bigger margin than any other municipality in Ontario, according to the province’s auditor general.
The rise roughly coincides with the transfer of traffic ticket revenues to the city, a potential conflict the auditor raises in his annual report released this week at Queen’s Park.
The figures show that between 1999, when the transfer began — Ottawa was granted control of its revenue from tickets in 2001 — and 2007, the number of tickets issued by Ottawa Police under the Provincial Offences Act increased by 155 per cent.
That increase is by far the biggest in the province.
The second-biggest jump is a 95 per cent increase in York. Toronto had the third-highest increase, at 78 per cent. Beyond those three, increases in all other municipalities are 50 per cent or lower.
Jim McCarter’s 2008 report investigated the issue to see if the “new revenue-generating powers might have influenced municipalities’ charging practices.”
Ultimately, however, he never pronounced judgment on the issue. Instead, he says he raised the subject with the province’s attorney general.
“It’s not up to us to say whether it’s good or bad,” Mr. McCarter said in an interview. “We said to the ministry we think you should be aware of this so you know the impact of your policy change.”
An Ottawa police spokesman attributed the steep rise in tickets to a heightened emphasis on road safety. Staff Sgt. Rock Lavigne says residents of the city identified speeding and aggressive driving as two of their top three priority issues in a 2002 survey. The police responded to this, he says, by allotting 18 additional officers to the force’s traffic enforcement and escort section, making it a 42-member team.
“You can see a spike at that time in the number of tickets,” said Staff Sgt. Lavigne. Indeed, figures show tickets jumped by nearly one-third, rising to 119,000 from roughly 91,000, in the first full year the unit was at its higher complement of officers.
(The number of fatalities, serious injuries and collisions all fell that same year. All three categories subsequently bounced back, however, and were higher in 2007 than they were prior to the increased allotment.)
Revenue generated from tickets goes into the city’s general revenue stream after a small portion is remitted to the province, according to officials.
West Carleton-March Councillor Eli El-Chantiry, a member of the city’s police services board, denies there is anything nefarious behind the increase in ticketing. Mr. El-Chantiry, who became a councillor in 2003, says the city was years ahead of the province in realizing it needed to clamp down on speeders.
“How could it be a cash grab?” he said. “Instead of looking at it half empty, why don’t you look at it half full? It saves some people’s lives. Have you ever been in those situations where you see a car go 140, 150 km/h and then it wipes out and kills (a) passenger? How many young people do we want to lose before we are stopping these people?”
Mr. McCarter says as an auditor, he is suspicious by nature. He says both scenarios — either that the city is behind the rise in traffic tickets, or that it is driven by genuine road safety concerns — are plausible.
However, he noted that in “some places, like Mississauga, there’s no change at all.”
“(Somewhere) like Ottawa, compared with the way it was in 1999, there are certainly a lot more charges being laid under the Provincial Offenses Act now that it’s under the municipality .... And there’s a lot more revenue associated with that, too.”
Staff Sgt. Lavigne says another explanation for the rise in tickets is growth in the city. Police jurisdiction expanded in 2001 to include Goulbourn, Cumberland, Kanata, West Carleton, Rideau, Osgoode and the Village of Rockcliffe Park.
12-15-2008, 11:42 PM
#3
Race Director
Thread Starter
I didn't expect them to actually implement a program, any program, effectively.
Now it made no mention of balancing the costs vs. revenues but if we let history be our guide I would expect expenditures collecting the tickets to greatly exceed revenues.
Now it made no mention of balancing the costs vs. revenues but if we let history be our guide I would expect expenditures collecting the tickets to greatly exceed revenues.
12-16-2008, 12:21 AM
#4
Drifting
-matt
12-16-2008, 11:55 AM
#5
Rennlist Member
[QUOTE=Crazy Canuck;6093889]Coincidence??? Ha!
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Traffic...646/story.html
Traffic tickets up 155% after revenue move: report
“How could it be a cash grab?” he said. “Instead of looking at it half empty, why don’t you look at it half full? It saves some people’s lives. Have you ever been in those situations where you see a car go 140, 150 km/h and then it wipes out and kills (a) passenger?"
.... this keeps getting trotted out as fact, but never with a documented figure .... so how many people exactly have been killed as a result of someone travelling 140 - 150+ kph (removing alcohol as the primary factor) vs. someone whistling through a red light?
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Traffic...646/story.html
Traffic tickets up 155% after revenue move: report
“How could it be a cash grab?” he said. “Instead of looking at it half empty, why don’t you look at it half full? It saves some people’s lives. Have you ever been in those situations where you see a car go 140, 150 km/h and then it wipes out and kills (a) passenger?"
.... this keeps getting trotted out as fact, but never with a documented figure .... so how many people exactly have been killed as a result of someone travelling 140 - 150+ kph (removing alcohol as the primary factor) vs. someone whistling through a red light?
12-16-2008, 01:29 PM
#7
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I have never ever witnessed in all my years of driving, a car wiping out at 140-150 km/h and killing a passenger; it is not such a common occurence. What a dork and an alarmist! He makes it sound like this is something we all see daily like people jaywalking! Most fatalities are at much lower speeds and usually involve an intersection of some kind.
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12-16-2008, 02:07 PM
#8
Three Wheelin'
I have never ever witnessed in all my years of driving, a car wiping out at 140-150 km/h and killing a passenger; it is not such a common occurence. What a dork and an alarmist! He makes it sound like this is something we all see daily like people jaywalking! Most fatalities are at much lower speeds and usually involve an intersection of some kind.
12-16-2008, 03:05 PM
#9
Rennlist Member
it has been well documented that less accidents occur travelling 140 vs 100 kph. just look at Germany.
why don't they just admit it is a cash grab.
the speed limits need to be raised some and then I am not against policing it carefully.
main streets in TO with speedlimits of 50 are a joke and pulling people over doing 61 again a joke...this is what our police are doing now. eg Lawrence avenue east of allen rd
why don't they just admit it is a cash grab.
the speed limits need to be raised some and then I am not against policing it carefully.
main streets in TO with speedlimits of 50 are a joke and pulling people over doing 61 again a joke...this is what our police are doing now. eg Lawrence avenue east of allen rd
12-16-2008, 05:35 PM
#10
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we all know its a cash grab... This is no way to solve a problem, Education is the Key... Driving is a Skilled Talent and needs Improvision most of the time, specially driving in Toronto
12-16-2008, 11:26 PM
#11
Good call Zookie.
Unfortunately education needs to be a two way street. Drivers need to understand that driving is not a birthright but a responsibility which includes following simple rules of the road (like paying attention, keeping slower traffic to the right and proper road communication/signals - no not just flipping the bird, but using indicator lights) and removing distractions (texting, cell phones, blackberries, and cradling a double latte in the crotch). Legislators also need to learn that many of the laws are based more on the ability to raise revenues than they are on real road safety. Unfortunately unless they can count on other means to raise that same revenue, they will not likely want to learn. Perhaps they can cut Fantino's salary and personal budget as a starting point, then move to expropriating and taking in proceeds from the sale of property from proven criminals (pimps, grow house operators, and drug dealers, etc).
Unfortunately education needs to be a two way street. Drivers need to understand that driving is not a birthright but a responsibility which includes following simple rules of the road (like paying attention, keeping slower traffic to the right and proper road communication/signals - no not just flipping the bird, but using indicator lights) and removing distractions (texting, cell phones, blackberries, and cradling a double latte in the crotch). Legislators also need to learn that many of the laws are based more on the ability to raise revenues than they are on real road safety. Unfortunately unless they can count on other means to raise that same revenue, they will not likely want to learn. Perhaps they can cut Fantino's salary and personal budget as a starting point, then move to expropriating and taking in proceeds from the sale of property from proven criminals (pimps, grow house operators, and drug dealers, etc).
