
Researchers at York University’s Lassonde School of Engineering are working to develop an innovative road safety system after receiving over half a million dollars in funding from Transport Canada.
Peter Park, professor in Lassonde’s Department of Civil Engineering and associate dean, research, innovation, enterprise and partnerships, will lead one of 35 projects announced as recipients of the Enhanced Road Safety Transfer Payment Program (ERSTPP).

It marks the first time for York to receive funding from the Transport Canada’s ERSTPP, a program that launched in 2019 to improve road safety across Canada.
The project “Enhancing Road Safety and Equity Through Strategic Deployment of Mobile Automated Speed Enforcement Cameras” will receive the sixth largest contribution in the 2024-26 cohort and will focus on the strategic deployment of automated speed enforcement cameras in high-risk areas such as school zones and community safety zones.
Park and his team will collaborate with a diverse group of industry partners in Ontario and Saskatchewan, including municipalities such as Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan and Saskatoon, as well as the Region of Peel and Saskatchewan Government Insurance. The work aligns with ERSTPP goals to establish nationally consistent road safety frameworks, policies and outreach initiatives.
“The road safety system that aims to improve road safety includes five key components: safe speed, safe EMS services, safe road users and safe vehicles,” says Park. “Our project is specifically targeting the ‘safe speed’ component, and by addressing these areas, we aim to reduce accidents and improve overall road safety.”
Using data-driven methods to determine optimal camera placement, the project aims to reduce road collisions through three objectives: optimal camera placement – strategies for placing and timing speed cameras; data collection and visualization – collecting standardized data and creating advanced visualization tools for camera deployment; and outreach and training – education to align speed enforcement strategies with local needs.
Park’s team – which includes Lassonde Professors Kevin Gingerich and Mehdi Nourinejad, as well as the Faculty of Education's Mahot Gebresselassie – will also implement tools developed to optimize the placement and duration of speed cameras, which will save time for city engineers and maximize the effectiveness of the cameras in improving safety.



An important consideration for this project, adds Park, is the equity implications of automated enforcement. To address this, the Park proposes rotating the locations of these cameras to ensure fair treatment of all road users.
“This approach helps ensure that no community or group of drivers is unfairly penalized, which is a common concern with automated enforcement,” explains Park.
Park says the initiative also seeks to shift the public perception of speed cameras from being viewed as “revenue tools” to essential measures of road safety.
Additionally, the team is exploring the use of virtual reality to access the impact of safety cameras on driver’s speed choice behavior. This innovative approach allows researchers to virtually simulate different scenarios and measure the effectiveness of various safety interventions. Learn more about Transport Canada’s Enhanced Road Safety Transfer Payment Program.