After a four-year freeze, the Alberta government is reviewing the contentious issue of photo radar ahead of a looming December 1 decision deadline. Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen confirmed his department is in talks with municipalities over whether to renew it, lift it or amend it based on a 2021 enforcement guide."We're currently working on a decision of what will come after December 1," Dreeshen told CBC. "Right now, it's just an internal discussion of what options could happen."."We're currently working on a decision of what will come after December 1“Alberta transportation Minister Devin Dreeshan.Since 2019, municipalities have been banned from installing new photo radar, upgrade existing sites or add new locations, including traffic lights. After 2021, photo radar vehicles had to be clearly marked and use of radar was prohibited from freeways and off ramps where drivers rapidly change speeds.Before setting up new locations, mitigation measures such as speed bumps have to be tried first. In addition, cameras aren’t allowed to issue multiple automated tickets within a five minute span.The rules also require municipalities to prove photo radar sites are used to improve safety and not become cash cows for cities..Police departments and municipalities are required to submit quarterly and annual Automated Traffic Enforcement reports — including the number and severity of collisions at specific locations — to back it up.They’re also not allowed to use it on residential streets with speed limits less than 50 km/hr, apart from school zones. That particular stipulation is already rankling councillors in Edmonton and Calgary which lowered residential speed limits to 40 km/hr. last year.Governments generated about $203 million from photo radar in 2020, but that number has been falling ever since. In 2022, the City of Edmonton saw a $14.6 million shortfall — despite issuing a half million tickets — from more than $57 million in 2019.That in turn prompted its city council to warn of tax hikes or cuts to police to make up the difference. .In Calgary, the number of photo tickets issued was down by almost 70% in the first three months of 2023 — although experts said it isn’t because lead-footed Calgarians were suddenly driving any safer or slower.The city publishes a list of photo radar locations every month on its website. As well as mobile photo radar, it also maintains 58 red light cameras, 55 of which also capture speeders in all phases of the signal — red, yellow or green.In March, Calgary police chief Mark Neufeld told council although the issue has financial implications on his department’s budget, safety is the primary concern.“The revenue piece is part of our budget, so it has an impact just the way the budget is constructed. At the end of the day, we’ll be looking at it from the angle of efficacy around collisions that have injury or fatalities — that’s where we’re going to want to see the impact of this as well. It’s not purely a financial question,” he said.
