Edmonton to pull photo radar from school and playground zones this summer
City says it's unable to continue school zone photo radar practices under new guidelines from province
Mobile photo radar in all Edmonton school and playground zones will be scrapped with the city promising to redirect resources into upgrades like more crosswalks and speed bumps.
The province announced in December it would be banning photo radar on all provincial highways and connectors, restricting photo radar use to school, playground and construction zones.
It would also no longer allow speed-on-green cameras at intersections. The change came into effect in April.
Jessica Lamarre, the city's director of safe mobility, said Wednesday that photo radar in school and playground zones was subsidized by revenue from photo radar on arterial roads, such as Anthony Henday Drive and Yellowhead Trail.
The province's move forced the city to get creative and look for long-term, low-cost solutions.
"Playground zones have become some of the most safest spots on our street," she said at a news conference Wednesday. "They have high speed compliance, and they have low crash volumes and severities."
Since 2019, the city has invested more than $6 million into playground zone upgrades, according to Lamarre.
"Rather than scaling back our efforts, we're choosing to adapt by stepping forward with a new approach that prioritizes long-term visible safety improvements in these important spaces," said Lamarre.
Devin Dreeshen, the province's transportation minister, said the government has assigned $13 million to municipalities thorough the Traffic Safety Fund.
"I'm encouraged to see municipalities taking a new approach to improve traffic safety through effective road infrastructure upgrades and traffic calming measures."
'Double whammy'
Debbie Hammond, the executive director of the Safer Roads Alliance, a non-profit organization in Edmonton, doesn't support the move.
"I think this is a double whammy because I didn't expect Edmonton of all places, all cities, to pull this technology," she said.
"They were the city in this province and probably in Canada that were really at the forefront of road safety and leveraging data to keep our roads safe. So it's a sad day for Edmontonians and Albertans to know that this technology is actually being removed."
While she notes that collisions in school and playground zones are low, she said much of that work is because of the presence of photo radar.
"We wouldn't have that technology there in those neighbourhoods if it wasn't needed," Hammond said.
Hammond said that she has witnessed drivers breaking rules multiple times.
"They don't slow down and with little people running on and off the roads, I think it's probably not the best decision to be doing that."
Vision Zero
The city said the decision would bring Edmonton closer to its Vision Zero goal, to achieve a road system with zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries. Edmonton was one of the first cities in Canada to implement such a plan.
For Brandon Kwong, board chair of the advocacy group Paths for People, the goal is to get to a place where fewer photo radar sites are needed. However, that requires sufficient infrastructure and road designs that ensure drivers won't speed.
Kwong said the city isn't quite there yet.
"Ultimately, I think we see safer infrastructure and roadway designs as being the best ultimate solution to encouraging better driver and roadway behaviour," he said.
"But we know that that will take a long time to roll out … and in the meantime, we're seeing a lot … in terms of traffic violence."
Lamarre said the city will continue to prioritize road safety in playground zones.
"We've heard loud and clear from families and from school communities that the challenges they're facing in playground zones go far beyond speeding," she said
"People are worried about unsafe crossings, aggressive driving, illegal parking and U-turns and chaotic drop-offs and pick-ups that can sometimes put kids at risk."
Photo radar will be pulled from all school and playground zones in the city starting July 1.
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With files from Jesmeen Gill
