The proportion of vehicles speeding went down 45 per cent after cameras were installed near schools and in high-collision areas, according to research from a hospital and university in Toronto.Fred Lum/the Globe and Mail

A spectre is haunting Canadian roads: the real prospect of actually having to pay a fine for not respecting the speed limit. As speed cameras proliferate, particularly in Ontario, some drivers are showing their displeasure. Many of the cameras have been vandalized and one in Toronto cut down six times.

It’s time for a deep breath.

Speed cameras shouldn’t disappear, they should multiply. The cameras are effective and, because their penalty is so easily avoided, they are fair.

In fact, a recent poll for CAA showed majority support among Ontarians for the cameras. Politicians who pander to the minority of drivers who hate them are gambling with public safety.

Those politicians span the ideological spectrum, from Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Premier

© The Globe and Mail