Portugal's Ingenious Alternative to Speed Cams

All the safety benefits without the cash grab

Speed Cameras to be Eliminated in Ontario

Controversially, given their proven lifesaving effects, the government of Ontario has mandated that all municipalities must eliminate speed cameras by November 14, 2025.

This is arguably a step backward in a province that should really be enforcing license plate obstruction laws rather than turning a blind eye to speeding in school zones. At least they aren’t taking away red light cameras, although given that the fine for driving with heavily tinted plate covers is a paltry $110 while the fine for running a red light is a more impactful $325, I expect obstructed plates will continue to be trendy.

What’s so bad about speed cameras?

I believe that speed enforcement makes our streets safer and don’t personally subscribe to the “cash grab” rhetoric. That said, there are problems with speed cams and I think everyone can agree that at least these first two are objectively bad:

• Punishment is delayed until the fine is received in the mail, often several weeks after the infraction.

• The fine must be paid by the registered owner of the vehicle, who may not have been driving at the time of the infraction.

• Those who violate plate obstruction laws are likely to also get away with violating speeding laws.

Portugal’s clever compromise

A recent news article described how Europeans generally support speed cameras, although the attitude may be shifting and apparently “Europe” means Italy and France. Since that article unfortunately ignored Portugal’s ingenious and effective approach I was inspired to write about it here.

The concept is simple: speeding is immediately punished with a red light. No cash grab and none of the cons listed above.

Here’s how it works…

As you enter a controlled speed zone, you encounter a warning sign indicating there’s a traffic light ahead and labelled with velocidade controlada meaning “controlled speed¹.” Alternately flashing yellow lights tell you that they aren’t messing around. It couldn’t be more clear.

A very short distance later you might see a second sign, restating the warning but now also reminding you of the current speed limit. This is your last chance to slow down!

Finally, if you — like this Google Street View driver — fail to reduce your speed adequately, the light turns red as you approach. Your natural reaction to a red light kicks in and you brake to a full stop with your tail between your legs. The immediate slap on the wrist is effective and you promise yourself to be more careful next time.

If I recall correctly, the light stays red for around 30 seconds. Just long enough for it to feel like a real inconvenience and, more importantly, to give the drivers behind you an opportunity to judge you, curse you, and lob you the odd stink eye.

That second aspect is critical and may be somewhat less effective in Canada than in Portugal, given the latter’s stronger sense of collectivism (and greater social accountability) as indicated by their significantly lower individualism score:

Source: Geert Hofstede's country comparison page

Incidentally, if you find cultural differences between countries even half as interesting as I do, Hofstede’s entire page makes for a fascinating read.

Conclusion

I for one will be sorry to see speed cameras removed from school and community safety zones in Ottawa. The point of this article is to demonstrate how one alternative can keep everyone happy. So if you’re reading this and you have some sway with an Ontario policymaker, let them know there’s a way to save lives and votes. Nothing beats a win-win solution!

1. Portuguese, similar to other Romance languages, uses the same word velocidade for both speed (velocidade escalar) and velocity (velocidade vetorial). This makes for a handy shortcut in casual speech, where any distinction between a scalar value and a directional vector is unimportant — and likely unwelcome. 😄