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Ontario's new license plates have a problem: you can't read them

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Re: Ontario's new license plates have a problem: you can't read them

#111

Post by stefan_ »

Phillips126 wrote: post #20

Wow that is an awful design for visibility. As a New York resident I noticed when the plates changed in 2010 I personally found them harder to read [0]. The white background with dark letters/numbers used from 2001-2010 seemed like the better option... I wonder what law enforcement thought of the change. Seems they are about to change again to something with better contrast starting April 2020 [1]. Also an interestin…

Remember New York is where police or rather NYPD will intentionally bend or deface their license plates:

https://mobile.twitter.com/placardabuse/status/1229933601464...

https://mobile.twitter.com/placardabuse/status/1229276273106...

Re: Ontario's new license plates have a problem: you can't read them

#112

Post by goatforce5 »

pletsch wrote: post #3

Saw a few of these this weekend, I'm curious to see if the 407 (Ontario's toll road)cameras can read them at night. I imagine this gets changed quite quickly if they can only read the old plates.

Apparently speed cameras in Toronto can't read them during the day:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-licence-plate...

Re: Ontario's new license plates have a problem: you can't read them

#113

Post by pletsch »

julianlam wrote: post #26
pletsch wrote: post #3

Saw a few of these this weekend, I'm curious to see if the 407 (Ontario's toll road)cameras can read them at night. I imagine this gets changed quite quickly if they can only read the old plates.

The article does specify that the Ford government tested the plates with "key stakeholders", which I'd imagine the 407 cameras would be one of them.

Ehh, the 407 is owned by the CPP (50.01%). Ford isn't a fan of the CPP, he tried to cut the increase almost immediately after taking office, I could see him cutting them out. This is also seen in Alberta, another conservative-led province, they've been trying to back out of it for years.

Also, and this is anecdotal, I'm from a small town that votes overwhelmingly conservative, and a common talking point I hear is "why should we pay into the cpp? It won't be there when we retire" even though the fund is in no danger of going away anytime soon.

Re: Ontario's new license plates have a problem: you can't read them

#114

Post by ghettoCoder »

52-6F-62 wrote: post #108
ghettoCoder wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So what if they did? The people forced to live with the windmills never wanted, gained nothing from them, and were completely sidelined, vilified, and cast as hicks, rednecks, or climate deniers for having the audacity to question the plan. They fought back using the ballot box and now are being rewarded with what they desired. To be heard. We absolutely need to decarbonize our economy but there's a right way to do i…

I'm not interested in getting into a political flame war over some windmills, but I think it's a bit of a gross oversimplification to say that the people gained nothing from them. There were extensive public consultations. You can view the outcome from that here: https://whitepineswindfarm.webs.com/20120901%20WPWF%20(1-41-... Some of the "sidelined" concerns were pseudo-scientific complaints about health effects but…

This was done to finally shut of the coal plants (a good thing in my mind) but the GTA consumes a lot of electricity and it had to come from somewhere. So in a classic case of externalizing their problem they voted to make it someone else's problem. The sitting government took away local planning and oversight, created setback guidelines based strictly on what the industry wanted and practically all of the "consultations" were held in the gta far away from the people actually affected by them.

Host communities didn't gain anything other than many folks having dried-up or polluted wells from the footings driven into the ground, seeing roads destroyed by heavy truck traffic with no compensations to the municipality, and none of the promised green jobs materialized. They lost scenic views (some like windmills, some don't), property values, a general sense of knowing that they, and their opinions matter. Losing that last one is the most dangerous to a functioning society.

I'm still puzzled that you assume I have chosen a side in this. There' no war here since you are clearly unable to see both sides of the issue and further discussion is pointless.

Re: Ontario's new license plates have a problem: you can't read them

#115

Post by KSS42 »

rezgi wrote: post #53
stanski wrote: post #16

Had the good fortune today to drive behind two cars, side by side, one sporting the old license plate and the other the old one. I could only read the old, white background plate but not the new blue one. And that was in broad daylight. Anyone claiming that the blue plates are perfectly readable has either never seen them in action or is downright lying. Incredible that vehicle plates are a political issue but there…

It is apparently not illegal in Ontario to put these very, very dark plastic covers over your plates either, making them so dark that they're barely legible unless you have your nose on that car. Including the (now) old design. Really, all you can see is a dark, smoked, grey rectangle where the plate is. I'm amazed this is legal.

It is illegal in Ontario. From the Ontario Highway Traffic Act:

Number plates, further violations No other numbers to be exposed 13 (1) No number other than that upon the number plate furnished by the Ministry shall be exposed on any part of a motor vehicle or trailer in such a position or manner as to confuse the identity of the number plate. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 13 (1).

Number plate to be kept clean (2) Every number plate shall be kept free from dirt and obstruction and shall be affixed so that the entire number plate, including the numbers, is plainly visible at all times, and the view of the number plate shall not be obscured or obstructed by spare tires, bumper bars, any part of the vehicle, any attachments to the vehicle or the load carried. 1994, c. 27, s. 138 (7).

Obstruction prohibited (3) The number plates shall not be obstructed by any device that prevents the entire number plates including the numbers from being accurately photographed using an automated speed enforcement system. 2017, c. 9, s. 3.

Same (3.0.1) The number plates shall not be obstructed by any device that prevents the entire number plates including the numbers from being accurately photographed using a red light camera system. 1998, c. 38, s. 2 (1).

Same (3.1) The number plates shall not be obstructed by any device or material that prevents the entire number plates including the numbers from being identified by an electronic toll system. 1996, c. 1, Sched. E, s. 2 (1).

Offence (4) Every person who contravenes subsection (2), (3), (3.0.1) or (3.1) is guilty of an offence. 1993, c. 31, s. 2 (5); 1996, c. 1, Sched. E, s. 2 (2); 1998, c. 38, s. 2 (2).

Re: Ontario's new license plates have a problem: you can't read them

#117

Post by fengazer »

sneak wrote: post #109
metalliqaz wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What the hell is wrong with people? I thought Canadians were better than this. Don't believe what your own eyes are telling you. Orwell turning over in his grave.

Speaking of Orwell, easily readable license plates make ALPR and bulk government location/travel surveillance more effective.

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/they-work-government-stands-by-ne...

"Thompson added that the technology on the new plates has already been adopted by provinces like Saskatchewan and Manitoba and can be read by Highway 407’s automated toll cameras."

If this assertion is true, bulk surveillance is not impaired; only the ability of individual humans to identify the vehicle.

Re: Ontario's new license plates have a problem: you can't read them

#118

Post by thrower123 »

AnthonyMouse wrote: post #71
pletsch wrote: post #3

Saw a few of these this weekend, I'm curious to see if the 407 (Ontario's toll road)cameras can read them at night. I imagine this gets changed quite quickly if they can only read the old plates.

> Saw a few of these this weekend, I'm curious to see if the 407 (Ontario's toll road)cameras can read them at night. I imagine this gets changed quite quickly if they can only read the old plates. It would be nice if some of the US states without tolls could do this on purpose, because many of the ones with them use them primarily to extract revenue from out of state drivers disproportionate to the cost of their use…

It's rather irritating when you go through a toll booth for a dollar toll, and the scanner for whatever reason doesn't scan your EasyPass, and then you either have to mail a check and attach a $0.55 stamp or pay a $3 credit card processing fee.

Re: Ontario's new license plates have a problem: you can't read them

#119

Post by 52-6F-62 »

bryanlarsen wrote: post #35
3pt14159 wrote: post #14

As the article states, it's in the same colour as the centre-right (by US standards) political party and to many of us here it feels like they're "trolling the libs" with these plates. One of the early plans of this government was to remove parts of The Greenbelt[0] and turn it into more suburban sprawl. Thankfully this was canceled after outrage from people here. So "A Place to Grow" seems extra rich in light of tha…

Most greenbelts are almost completely environmental failures. Designed to concentrate development on the inner core, they simply encourage the spread of the massive bedroom communities that develop outside of the greenbelt. They're also generally too small to support a viable large animal population which are a critical part of any ecosystem. But AFAICT, the golden horseshoe greenbelt has neither of these problems: i…

To wit, the Ontario greenbelt contains some essential watersheds.

https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/greenbelt/pages/383/at...

The last time the province's water needs weren't properly cared-for resulted in what's known as the Walkerton Tragedy.

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/walkerton-...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkerton_E._coli_outbreak

Re: Ontario's new license plates have a problem: you can't read them

#120

Post by kube-system »

dangus wrote: post #67

Things I can’t understand: - Why North America doesn’t adopt European-style plates instead of the tiny, squished ones they have - Why license plates are allowed to act as regional advertisements for local states and provinces rather than identifiers - Why Canadians keep the Ford family in power

> Why license plates are allowed to act as regional advertisements for local states

States are "allowed" to do it because they are the ones who regulate the use of motor vehicles. The federal government of the US has virtually no rules regarding the use of motor vehicles.

Some states have even issued plates in different shapes and sizes than the typical NA plate you're thinking of, like Delaware, which made some famous 9.5"x5.5" plates.

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