New Ontario license plates under fire for apparently being hard to read
The province's Liberal party is accusing Doug Ford’s government of rushing the design through without proper testing
by COLEMAN MOLNAR | 17 HOURS AGO
The Ontario government is investigating claims its new provincial blue-on-blue license plates are difficult to read at nighttime or under bright-light glare.
Complaints, photos and videos started surfacing shortly after the new plates were released earlier this month.
“We have been made aware that some Ontarians are reporting concerns with readability to the naked-eye under certain light conditions…and are currently looking into this” the office of Minister of Government and Consumer Services Lisa Thompson told CTV News Toronto.
If you haven’t seen one in the wild yet, here’s a look through the cameras of some Twitter users, including an off-duty Ontario police officer.
As demonstrated in the last “not scientific” video using a prototype, besides being hard to read in low light, the numbers and letters on the new plates appear to become washed out in light when viewed from a distance.
Thompson claims the license plates, which are required on all new vehicles registered after February 1, were tested for “readability, reflectivity and functionality” by “key stakeholders” including law enforcement partners.
But some critics, including Liberal leader John Fraser, are questioning whether the plates were properly tested at all by Doug Ford’s provincial government.
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“It’s kind of typical of the Ford government’s first 18 months in government — a poorly-thought out choice done quickly,” Fraser told the Toronto Sun. “And now they’ve gone and done it and they’ve messed it up.”
Along with the colour change, the plates also include a new slogan “A Place To Grow,” which replaces the old “Yours To Discover.”
The province's Liberal party is accusing Doug Ford’s government of rushing the design through without proper testing
by COLEMAN MOLNAR | 17 HOURS AGO
The Ontario government is investigating claims its new provincial blue-on-blue license plates are difficult to read at nighttime or under bright-light glare.
Complaints, photos and videos started surfacing shortly after the new plates were released earlier this month.
“We have been made aware that some Ontarians are reporting concerns with readability to the naked-eye under certain light conditions…and are currently looking into this” the office of Minister of Government and Consumer Services Lisa Thompson told CTV News Toronto.
If you haven’t seen one in the wild yet, here’s a look through the cameras of some Twitter users, including an off-duty Ontario police officer.
https://twitter.com/ACollinsPhoto/status/1228497823395667968
Andrew Collins@ACollinsPhoto
https://twitter.com/ACollinsPhoto/status/1228497823395667968
Has anyone else noticed that the newly designed @ONgov license plates are totally unreadable from distance at night? Submitted screen grab taken from a 1080P dash camera. Could be an issue for GTA police forces in the future.
446
8:54 PM - Feb 14, 2020
https://twitter.com/SgtKoopman
https://twitter.com/SgtKoopman/status/1228867523921272833
Ok, this was taken off duty in a relatively well lit parking lot with my headlights on. Did anyone consult with police before designing and manufacturing the new Ontario licence plates? They’re virtuallly unreadable at night.
4,095
9:23 PM - Feb 15, 2020 · Kingston, Ontario
Back in April 2018, the Ford government gave the media a version of their new licence plates.
Here’s what happens when you shine some light on it. #onpoli
Colin D'Mello CTVNews@ColinDMello
Update: We tried it with the old plate.
Again we have a prototype, which the gov’t says has been improved upon.
This is not scientific. #onpoli
https://twitter.com/intent/like?tweet_id=1229472026169085953
As demonstrated in the last “not scientific” video using a prototype, besides being hard to read in low light, the numbers and letters on the new plates appear to become washed out in light when viewed from a distance.
Thompson claims the license plates, which are required on all new vehicles registered after February 1, were tested for “readability, reflectivity and functionality” by “key stakeholders” including law enforcement partners.
But some critics, including Liberal leader John Fraser, are questioning whether the plates were properly tested at all by Doug Ford’s provincial government.
RELATED
New Brunswick scrapping front license plates
Lorraine Complains: Keep the political branding off Ontario’s licence plates
“It’s kind of typical of the Ford government’s first 18 months in government — a poorly-thought out choice done quickly,” Fraser told the Toronto Sun. “And now they’ve gone and done it and they’ve messed it up.”
Along with the colour change, the plates also include a new slogan “A Place To Grow,” which replaces the old “Yours To Discover.”