Red Light Cameras

It is a violation that occurs when a driver enters an intersection after the signal light has turned red.

Drivers already at an intersection when the signal changes to red (when waiting to turn, for example) are not considered red light runners.

No. Red light cameras do not replace police officers. The red light cameras are being used to help police efforts in discouraging motorists from running red lights. Police enforcement is a substantial component of the program.

The cameras are set to photograph vehicles that enter an intersection after the light has turned red. Vehicles that enter yellow and are within the intersection when the light changes to red, are not photographed. The program photographs vehicles that enter an intersection only after the signal has turned red.

Trained officers review every picture to verify information and ensure that the vehicle is in violation. Tickets are mailed to vehicle owners only in cases where it is clear that the vehicle ran the red light.

The registered license plate holder receives the ticket, regardless of who was driving the vehicle.

As of January 1, 2010 the set fine for running a red light detected by a camera system was increased to $260 plus a $60 victim surcharge and a $5 court cost. The total payable is now $325. Demerit points are not issued with violations detected by the red light camera system.

If the location code on your ticket is 4960 or 4961, payments can be made in one of four ways:

1. Online with Visa or MasterCard at paytickets.ca
2.  Mail: To pay by credit card, please fill out the Pre-Authorized Payment Form, or provide a cheque or money order made payable to The Regional Municipality of York and return by mail to:
   
   The Regional Municipality of York Provincial Offences Office
   17150 Yonge St, 2nd Floor, Newmarket, ON L3Y 8V3
3. Phone: 905-898-0425 with Visa or MasterCard
4. In-person at the Newmarket Provincial Offences Court located at 17150 Yonge St., 2nd Floor, Newmarket, or any Provincial Offences Office in Ontario.

For more information, visit york.ca/courts

The set fine for running a red light when caught by a police officer is $325. Failure to stop for a red light where a police officer issues a ticket results in three demerit points.

Total cost of the ticket is $325. York Region and the Province of Ontario receives $260. There is a $60 victim fee surcharge and a $5 processing fee.

In consultation with the Privacy Commissioner, every attempt has been made to minimize capturing members of the public in the photos. In the event that members of the public are inadvertently captured on film, it will not be possible to identity them from the photos included on the tickets.

A red light camera system costs approximately $100,000.

The system supplier is Traffipax. The camera is an industrial digital camera, manufactured for unattended operation in an outdoor environment. The cameras are housed in a one half metre by one half metre by one half metre enclosure. The cameras are mounted on a pole, approximately 20 metres in advance of the intersection and are mounted approximately 3.6 metres above the ground.

Photographic detection devices are used extensively in many other countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Cameras are also used in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec.