The City of Brampton is preparing to test a new road safety measure using in-pavement LED lights at crosswalks as officials search for alternatives after the province banned municipal speed cameras.
Brampton city council recently approved a pilot program that will install illuminated LED systems at selected crosswalks to help slow down traffic and improve pedestrian safety. The initiative was introduced through a motion by Wards 1 and 5 Regional Councillor Rowena Santos during the March 11 council meeting.
The proposed SmartCrossing LED system places bright lights directly within the pavement at pedestrian crossings. The lights activate when pedestrians approach or cross, making the crosswalk more visible to drivers and encouraging them to reduce speed.
Santos said the city has been exploring new traffic-calming tools since the provincial government under Doug Ford banned automated speed enforcement cameras last November. Brampton had previously deployed about 185 speed cameras across school zones and community safety areas, which were later removed following the provincial decision.
With the cameras no longer in use, city officials have been searching for other ways to address speeding, particularly near schools and areas with high pedestrian traffic. Santos told council that similar LED crosswalk technology has been successfully used in several countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
She also noted that the system has proven effective in cold climates such as Finland, with no reported problems related to snow, ice or freezing temperatures.
To help municipalities transition away from automated speed enforcement, the provincial government has provided roughly $7 million in funding to the city along with new signage for school zones and safety areas. However, Santos said some of the signs are large and must be carefully reviewed to ensure they do not create visibility issues or blind spots.
City staff are also examining other potential uses for the former speed camera equipment, including converting them into red-light cameras or using them to identify vehicles with excessively loud modified exhaust systems that violate local noise bylaws.
Additional provincial funding is available for municipalities to introduce other traffic-calming measures such as speed bumps and roundabouts, and Brampton council hopes to access those funds to support the LED crosswalk pilot.
The motion received unanimous support from council members. Santos said she hopes the pilot project can begin soon and, if successful, be expanded across the city before the start of the next school year in September. She acknowledged that while speed cameras had proven effective in reducing speeding, the city must now explore new technologies and strategies to keep roads safe.