More Alberta municipalities scrapping photo radar in response to provincial restrictions
17 communities are using automated enforcement, down from 26 last year
The number of municipalities using photo radar and red-light cameras in Alberta has dropped by more than a third since last year, according to figures from the province.
Seventeen municipalities, including Edmonton and Calgary, still have automated traffic enforcement programs — down from 26 last year.
The provincial government announced in December it would be banning photo radar on all provincial highways and connectors, restricting its use to school, playground and construction zones and no longer allowing speed-on-green cameras at intersections.
The new rules, which the government has framed as "ending the photo radar cash cow," came into effect on April 1.
Alberta Municipalities president and Wetaskiwin Mayor Tyler Gandam said smaller local governments, including his own, have determined the cost of hiring a company to run automated enforcement now exceeds the benefits.
He said as a result, municipalities are losing revenue they once spent on traffic safety initiatives and are turning to police and peace officers to enforce speed limits instead.
"Taking away the automated traffic enforcement now puts more of a burden on our police officers and our communities," Gandam said.
Revenue losses
Getting rid of photo radar means giving up tens of thousands of dollars in ticket revenue.
Canmore expects to lose $250,000, Edson about $464,000 and Spruce Grove $600,000.
"It was never about the revenue," said Jeff Acker, Spruce Grove's mayor.
He said Spruce Grove, a small city about 30 kilometres west of Edmonton, introduced photo radar 16 years ago aiming to reduce traffic collisions at intersections by 20 per cent. The tool worked, he said.
Now, because of the new provincial rules, Spruce Grove can no longer use photo radar at its most dangerous places.
Municipalities wanting to re-engineer intersections to reduce collisions can apply for a new traffic safety fund in September.
The provincial fund will have $1 million available in the next fiscal year, $2 million in 2026-27 and $10 million in 2027-28.
Speeding already up: town policing manager
Some municipal governments have decided that despite the restrictions, they can afford to keep using automated enforcement tools.
Mark Anderson, manager of community policing in Coaldale, about 18 kilometres northeast of Lethbridge, said the town can do so because it owns equipment already and doesn't have to pay another company.
But losing the ability to ticket speeding highway drivers, 70 per cent of whom did not live in town, Anderson said, takes $400,000 out of the town's budget.
He's already noticing more speeding on Highways 3 and 845.
"They're just ripping through here again," Anderson said.
Safety fears
Debbie Hammond, executive director of Safer Roads Alliance, a non-profit funded by the oil and gas industry, said she fears photo radar's disappearance will lead to more crashes and fatalities.
"Removing this technology is definitely going to hinder our path forward," she said.
Karim El-Basyouny, a transportation engineering professor at the University of Alberta, told CBC News in September that various studies and evaluations indicate automated speed enforcement, including photo radar, can effectively decrease speeding and related traffic violations.
"I'm ethically obligated to speak on this issue," he said in an email.
"Every life lost on our roads is a preventable tragedy, and it is our collective responsibility to advocate for policies that prioritize safety and adhere to the evidence-based practices that have been proven to save lives."
Hammond said she urges the provincial government to reconsider recent restrictions.
In an emailed statement, Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen said the government is "following through on its commitment to restore public trust in automated traffic enforcement" by removing sites that don't clearly improve public safety.
Under the province's new guidelines, municipalities may submit business cases to request exemptions, but Dreeshen said no municipality has done so.
The new guidelines require municipalities to submit months of recent data and show that other safety measures, like speed bumps or flashing signs, do not work.
Gandam said some communities may decide to ask for exemptions after reviewing data, but Acker doesn't think Spruce Grove will be one of them.
He said the city is not confident it could find a company to conduct enforcement at far fewer locations, bringing enforcement in-house would be too costly and applying for exemptions would burden administrative staff.
Acker and officials from other municipalities told CBC News they are implementing and exploring other ways of addressing traffic safety, through speed limit reductions, more patrols by RCMP and peace officers, intersection design changes and targeted traffic-calming measures in areas where drivers speed.
Hammond said there are many strategies to improve road safety, but they can be expensive, so she recommends municipalities partner with other groups to find resources and work together on solutions.
"Communities really have to want that and advocate for it," she said.
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