Nova Scotia says long-awaited traffic safety changes to come next year

Long-awaited traffic safety improvements that might allow cameras rather than police to catch speeding drivers could be coming to Nova Scotia next year.

Public Works Minister Fred Tilley wrote to municipalities on March 25 asking for their input on road safety issues.

Although the Traffic Safety Act was passed in 2018 with the intent to replace the outdated Motor Vehicle Act, government officials have said it's been complicated to actually bring into law.

In his letter, Tilley said that implementing the bill as "originally envisioned would take several more years." Given the importance of the issue, he said, they are trying to find ways to bring in "modern traffic safety legislation" sooner rather than later.

Tilley's letter does not specify which parts of the bill would come first, or if there would be any new additions. He only wrote that the initiatives would have a "limited impact on drivers but would mean some changes for municipalities and law enforcement."

A provincial spokesperson said the revised act and regulations are expected to be ready in 2026.

"It's good to hear that there's some movement and seems to be some fresh commitment from the provincial government to finally deliver this really important piece of work," Halifax Coun. Sam Austin, who is also chair of the city's transportation committee, said Wednesday.

"It has been quite a while since this was passed, and there's pieces of it that we're really waiting on."

The act includes better regulations dealing with distracted driving, and doubles fines for collisions that seriously injure or kill vulnerable road users like cyclists and pedestrians. 

But Austin is hoping one of the first changes would be to allow municipalities to use photo radar, which Halifax has requested for years. Rather than relying on police to enforce speed limits, the technology detects and captures images of speeding drivers and issues tickets to the registered vehicle owner.

"An officer can't be on duty in a spot all the time, whereas the camera [is] always on, always there, always active, always doing its thing to reduce speeding. They're not always necessarily popular, but they work," said Austin.

Automating speeding tickets would free up traffic officers to better focus their time and attention on distracted or impaired drivers, Austin said.

Tilley's letter said the province is planning "detailed, collaborative and confidential" conversations with municipalities about their needs and concerns on traffic safety.

He said that MQO Research will facilitate those discussions and organize engagement sessions over the coming months.

Austin said Halifax city staff have told the province they want to take part in these discussions, while Cape Breton Regional Municipality councillors spoke about the issue at a recent committee of the whole meeting.

CBRM Mayor Cecil Clarke said councillors heard from residents in budget sessions throughout the municipality that road safety issues are a major concern.

"We're going to take those priorities of citizens and reflect them in this dialogue with the province," Clarke told reporters on April 1.

Clarke said they would also welcome photo radar, but council will have a lengthier discussion about their top priorities at a later date.

CBC asked to speak with the president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities on the consultation, but that request was declined.

A spokesperson said the federation is "still gathering information" and will have a response after they have more details.