Sudbury council to focus on transit cameras
Sudbury transit manager says cameras have been helpful — even when the buses aren't running
Sudbury city council will discuss whether or not to install cameras on city buses during its meeting on Tuesday.
Councillors will discuss a report that requests security cameras to be installed on all city buses, at a cost of around $250,000.
The city’s transit manager said he knows the city is facing a tight budget, but believes it will be money well spent.
"If we can reduce the assaults on our operators, increase safety … cameras, as far as we’re concerned, will become part of the base of any bus," Roger Sauve said.
"It’ll be just like ordering a bus with brakes and cameras."
Safety won’t be the only thing cameras will be used for. The city has put a test camera on one bus for the past three months, and Sauve said that camera helped capture vandalism.
"The bus was actually parked in a layover. [It] wasn’t even in service," he explained.
"But the camera continues running for an hour and a half. Somebody came to the front of the bus and threw a rock through the windshield."
A final decision will be made during next year’s budget deliberations on whether or not all buses will have security cameras installed.
In the meantime, Sauve said, a working group has been established to study the safety of public transit in Sudbury. That group will review everything from protective cages for drivers, to increased security at the downtown terminal.