Here's what London learned from red light cameras in the past year

There's something about Queens Avenue that makes London drivers push their luck, according to data drawn from the city's red light camera program.

The intersection at Queens Ave. and Adelaide St. produced the greatest number of tickets for both 2017 and 2018 to date, with a whopping 501 tickets in the latter half of 2017 and 802 in 2018.

Even more treacherous is the Queens Ave. and Talbot St. intersection, a late addition to the city's red light camera program. That intersection saw 540 tickets this year, despite only becoming operational in late June. 

Shane Maguire, who manages the program for the city, said it's unclear why that particular intersection is so dangerous.

"It's a very straight section of road, Queens Ave." said Maguire. "There was nothing from an engineering standpoint that would say this is why there was more red light running here compared to others."

Drivers caught by the cameras face the same $325 fine they would incur if they were caught by police, but don't get hit with demerit points.

Camera placement

London has 10 red light cameras total, the most recent one being at Adelaide St. and Oxford St., which was installed this December. Most cameras were installed during the summer months last year, with two late additions added in 2018.

The city selected locations for the cameras by looking at which intersections have historically had the highest number of right-angle collisions, which tend to be more damaging and dangerous than rear-end collisions.

Maguire said his team also made an effort to spread the cameras throughout the city, given that red light cameras can provoke a "halo effect."

"Once you introduce the cameras, people's driving behaviour improves at neighbouring intersections as well," he said.

In 2017, the revenue from red-light camera tickets covered the cost of the program with a little cash to spare, Maguire said. Data from 2018 isn't available yet.

If the program succeeds in making Londoners better drivers, it may stop making a profit or even breaking even. But Maguire said that would be a small price to pay for safer streets.

Anecdotally, Maguire said he thinks the program has already made an impact.

"I think people are not trying to push their luck going through intersections as much since we introduced our program," he said. 

Total infractions at red light cameras

Queens Ave. and Adelaide St.

• Installed: July 18, 2017
• 2017: 501
• 2018: 802

Highbury Ave. and Huron St.

• Installed: August 9, 2017
• 2017: 100
• 2018: 187

Wonderland Rd. and Springbank Dr.

• Installed: June 19, 2017
• 2017: 220
• 2018: 342

Commissioners Rd. E at Wellington Rd. S

• Installed: August 9, 2017
• 2017: 366
• 2018: 540

Queens Ave. and Talbot St.

• Installed: June 25, 2018
• 2017: N/A
• 2018: 540

Oxford St. and Wonderland Rd. N

• Installed: July 18, 2017
• 2017: 130
• 2018: 300

Richmond St. and Windermere Rd.

• Installed: August 9, 2017
• 2017: 232
• 2018: 480

Exeter Rd. and Wharncliffe Rd. S

• Installed: September 18, 2017
• 2017: 51
• 2018: 173

Adelaide St. N and Oxford St. E

• Installed: December 11, 2018
• 2017: N/A
• 2018: N/A

Clarke Rd. and Dundas St.

• Installed: July 4, 2017
• 2017: 355
• 2018: 773

*Note: 2018 data is up to and including October.