Following talks with stakeholders and an influx of citizen requests, the Alberta government plans to tighten restrictions on implementing photo radars across the province to reduce speed traps.
According to a news release, the changes will begin in April 2022 and will force municipalities to justify that traffic cameras are being used to improve road safety rather than as a speed trap to generate revenue through tickets.
“Photo radar should only be used for traffic safety – not as a cash cow to squeeze extra money from Albertans,” writes Justice Minister Kaycee Mandu. “Our government has worked with police services and municipalities to implement changes that will ensure photo radar technology is used only to ensure our roads remain safe.”
Transportation Minister Rajan Sawhney agrees, saying, “We are taking action to tighten up the rules around photo radar. These changes respond to public concerns requesting the elimination of ‘fishing holes’ or speed traps while maintaining high levels of safety standards. Municipalities will be required to collect and provide data to support current and future site selection for photo radar.”
As per the news release, the government plans to implement restrictions on photo radar use in transition zones and on residential roads with less than 50 km/h speed limits — this does not include school or construction zones.
The government will also remove double ticketing within five minutes and require all photo radar enforcement vehicles to be clearly visible. So, no more cops hiding in the shade trying to make their quotas!
Moreover, the Transportation and Justice Ministers will now work with municipalities, requiring the latter to provide their rationale and hard data to justify installing traffic cams in their regions.
