The Alberta government plans to review its photo radar sites and remove those it deems ineffective in a move that is expected to reduce active locations by 70 percent by next spring.
The measures respond to a “growing frustration” among Albertans stemming from concerns that photo radar is often used for revenue generation instead of to improve safety, the province said in a Dec. 2 release.
Over the next four months, officials will review all active photo radar sites and eliminate those deemed ineffective in reducing collisions. In addition, photo radar enforcement will be limited to school, recreation, and construction zones starting April 1, 2025, ending ticketing on numbered provincial highways.
“These changes will once and for all kill the photo radar cash cow in Alberta,” said Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen in a Dec. 2 release. “Albertans can be confident that photo radar will only be used to improve traffic and roadside worker safety and not to make money.”
The province’s review of the active sites would reduce the number of photo radar sites from 2,200 to around 650.
Intersection safety devices will be limited to red light enforcement, ending the current “speed-on-green” cameras, which Dreeshen said have “unfairly penalized everyday Albertans, simply trying to get to work, take their kids to hockey practice or drive home for their families.”
The province plans to encourage municipalities to use alternative measures to improve traffic safety, such as speed warning signs, speed tables, and public education campaigns. Officials said the province received input from municipalities earlier this summer.
The provincial government may approve additional photo radar locations for municipalities on an “exceptional basis,” such as for high-collision areas or when other safety measures cannot be implemented, said officials. In those cases, the province would audit photo radar sites every two years to assess their effectiveness.
The province added it will help municipalities make roads safer by providing support to re-engineer roads and intersections that have been identified as unsafe.
Calgary Police Chief Mark Neufeld, who also serves as president of the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police, criticized the measures, saying they will not improve traffic safety.
“Evidence clearly demonstrates that automated traffic enforcement is effective in making streets safer and in saving lives,” Neufeld said at a Dec. 2 press conference, adding he expects the number of serious and fatal collisions to increase.
“It makes it sound as though we’re out there putting these things wherever to make money and then using the money for the Christmas party,” he said. “The revenue that is generated by these things actually goes into things and programs that Albertans value.”
All photo radar sites were removed from ring roads in Calgary and Edmonton a year ago.
Last year, the highest revenue generating photo radar site in Alberta was one located in Strathcona County, with $5,956,573 collected in fines over a 144-day period, according to provincial data. A site in Edmonton came second, collecting $2,717,393 in fines over the same period.
