Hamilton Traffic Cameras

There are more eyes on the streets of Hamilton then most of us realize. 68 cameras are now watching the traffic, mainly between McMaster University and the Pan Am Stadium.As Cindy Csordas reports, the city hopes to make it a smooth ride for drivers when the games attract thousands of visitors next week.Eventually there will be a camera at more than five hundred and sixty intersections in the city of Hamilton. The system is designed to ease traffic headaches.Martin White is the Traffic Operations Manager. “If it’s a stalled car we might call a tow truck or send field staff for assistance. If it’s a motor vehicle collision, we can call police. If it’s just more vehicles than anticipated, we have the ability to adjust the signal timing on the games route network using the software for ATMS.”None of the images are recorded or available to the public. “At the moment, the answer to that question is no. Lower down on the priority list is to determine access to the camera information, but until we have council approval, we don’t have permission to provide the images to people at this point in time.”He says the project wasn’t initiated by the fact the Pan Am Games are coming to town. Actually it was envisioned 10 years ago. So far the cameras have cost the city of hamilton 2.8 million dollars. Nelson Melendez, a traffic signals technologist, says the cameras are worth every penny when compared to ground sensors. “In terms of the ability the cameras have, now we can watch video, now we can control the intersection. We can collect data that we couldn’t do with the old sensors and we’re paying the same and they’re expected to last longer because they’re not in the ground.”If there’s a traffic problem in Hamilton, Pan Am visitors can expect to see messages about it along GTA highways. And long after the games are over, the cameras will help the city monitor and manage traffic flow.