Public data made intelligible
When my family and I returned to Kitchener, Ontario, we were surprised to see a large number of signs about speed cameras. The signs instructed drivers on county roadways going 60km to slow down to 40km for very brief stretches -- often for just a few blocks. Like many people, I found these sudden drops in speed took me by surprise because there wasn't any obvious reasons for them. I soon learned that the official justification of these small areas where the speed limit changed was because a school was located on or near the road. In theory this seemed to make some sense, but in practice I found that the "safety zones" weren't actually located where students were likely to be walking or cycling.
In Toronto, a controversial speed camera program had also been running for more than a decade. The program was seen by some as a tax grab, allowing the city to generate revenues through automated ticketing. But were the cameras effective there? Since there were no public analyses of speed cameras, I decided to investigate for myself.
Below you'll find brief write-ups and data visualizations of my work. The first article outlines how Toronto's speed camera program has not changed the rate of pedestrian accidents in that city. I've tried numerous models and specifications but they all indicate no relationship between the presence of speed cameras and the risk of a traffic accident.
The other analyses are focused on the city of Kitchener. I looked at past accidents near schools in the city and I extracted information about previous pedestrian and cycling accidents. There was no relationship between where the city planned to put speed cameras and where accidents had previously occurred.
My work also gained significant media coverage. Here are some of the local articles that referenced my work.
Dec 15, 2024 - Speed Cameras at Schools Do Not Stand Up to Even Basic Scrutiny. The Record (archived)
Aug 14, 2025 - With speed cameras, local politicians are going down a dangerous road (Opinion). The Record (archived)
Nov 14, 2025 - Speed cameras are dead, and Ford gets another nine lives. The Record (archived)
Feb 3, 2026 - Cameras gave out 88,599 speeding tickets. Who got caught, and who caught a break? The Record (archived)
Below are links to the write-ups about speed cameras in Toronto and Kitchener.
Traffic safety is a critical concern for any city, and speed cameras have long been touted as a solution to protect vulnerable road users. But do speed cameras actually make cyclists and pedestrians safer? In this deep dive into Toronto's speed camera program, I cut through partisan talking points and find that speed cameras in Toronto have had no impact on pedestrian safety.
Pedestrian and cycling accidents near schools in Kitchener during school hours. What does the data say?
Should Kitchener-Waterloo implement speed cameras at all Public and Catholic Board schools in the Region? I looked at traffic collision data from the City of Kitchener and found little evidence that speed cameras would provide much value. First, there are relatively few accidents near schools during school hours involving pedestrians (an average of about 4.7 accidents yearly). In Kitchener, the majority of accidents have occurred at intersections near downtown schools or Williamsburg. I suggest that traditional traffic calming measures – speed bumps, crosswalks, and crossing attendants – provide citizens with better safety and value.
A map of the busiest roads in Kitchener-Waterloo according to a network simulation.
Kitchener and Waterloo are considering a dramatic change to our roads: automated speed cameras at every school, creating "community safety zones" with 30 km/h speed limits. Any speed above that—yes, even a single kilometer over—could earn you a ticket in the mail. In this posting, I’m going to focus on this question: what will this do to our driving patterns?