‘Cash cow’ photo radar put out to pasture by province
By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on April 1, 2025.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com
Loathe it or like it, photo radar is well known to Albertans.
And as of today, the province officially restricts its use to only school, playground and construction zones, prohibiting it from catching speeding drivers on numbered provincial highways and connectors.
Intersection safety devices will be limited to red light enforcement, ending ticketing for drivers who speed through them on green lights.
The provincial government said on Thursday that for years it has had the most automated traffic enforcement sites of any Canadian jurisdiction. Photo radar cameras served as as a “cash cow” that generated millions of dollars in revenue “with no clear evidence they were improving traffic safety.”
The province has created a $13 million traffic safety fund for municipalities to upgrade local roads and intersections which pose demonstrated safety risk. When the application process has been finalized, details will be made available on how to apply.
“We have officially killed the photo radar cash cow and the revenue-generating ‘fishing holes’ that made Alberta the biggest user of photo radar in Canada. The updated guideline will ensure that photo radar is used for safety only. The new provincial traffic safety fund will support municipalities in physical improvements at key intersections, helping to reduce traffic risks and enhance safe roads,” said Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen in a statement.
Photo radar was first introduced in this province in 1987.
In January, Lethbridge Police Service started monitoring 42 additional playground zones with photo radar.
LPS addressed ATE in its 2024 annual report, stating “in Alberta, nearly one in four fatal collisions involve drivers traveling at excessive speeds. The Lethbridge Police Service ATE program strives to achieve the long-term goal of improved traffic safety, which includes reducing collisions.”
The report notes that revenues from ATE is shared between the province – 40 per cent – and City of Lethbridge – 60 per cent.
“The 2024 ATE program in Lethbridge generated $688, 000 after direct expenses. The remaining funds were reinvested as a partial funding source for traffic safety initiatives to improve the design and use of roads, including line painting, upgrading wheelchair access points along sidewalks, repairing traffic signal devices and replacement of roadway traffic signs. No funds remained unspent at end of 2024,” noted the report.
Provincial changes, the report stated, “could impact the effectiveness of our traffic safety strategy, as ATE allows us to address speeding and intersection-related violations without diverting frontline officers from other important policing duties. The reality is that traditional enforcement alone cannot cover every high-risk location, and ATE has played a key role in supplementing our traffic safety efforts.”
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This was a bad move by the Alberta Government! How can it be a cash cow if it was catching people breaking the law? The speeders didn’t get any demerit points, but now they will! Oh well, how about just don’t speed!
We will see more police radar and more unhappy people because they just didn’t have to pay for a ticket, but had to wait when they got pulled over by police for 15 minutes or so, while police ran checks and made up the tickets, instread of driving by and getting a ticket in the mail.
Utlmately, I would think that getting more demerit points is a better deterent than photo radar, but that will mean more police on traffic duty to handle the increased need for policing the offenders.
After seeing the increase of persons speeding and having people on my tailgate constantly when I am doing the speed limit or just 10% over on Whoop-up or Scenic Drive so I don’t get run over, I would like to see some better enforcement and don’t feel bad in the least if these bullies are ticketed! It has got out of hand and for one would have been happy to see several permanent photo radar sites on Whoop-up Drive operating 24/7.
Too many times going home from work I have had to wait in traffic because some bonehead couldn’t follow the speed limit like the rest of us, so we could all get home for supper in a timely manner! No respect for others anymore! It is all about ME ME ME and I need to get to where I am going 30 seconds faster than everyone else!
I look forward to seeing more physical police ticketing the offenders! Go get ’em!!!
Lethbridge won’t lose any revenue. The City conveniently converted all school zones to playground zones 7:30AM to 9:00PM 365 days a year. Plenty of fishing holes for the cash cow.