CPS says most new photo radar requirements already in place
Calgary Police say new photo radar restrictions announced by the province Wednesday mostly mirror the existing practices.
"At first review, most of these changes align with current CPS practices," CPS said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. "New guidelines announced today on the requirements needed to add photo radar locations will be reviewed and adhered to."
The restrictions prohibit photo radar from being used in speed transition zones or in school and construction zones unless children or workers are present.
They will also require photo radar vehicles to be clearly marked and police will have to try other safety measures before introducing new passive enforcement locations.
"This may hinder our ability to rapidly deploy the use of photo radar to a location that has shown the need for traffic enforcement," the statement said.
Some Calgarians who spoke with CTV News said they didn't mind the idea of photo radar, but don't like feeling tricked when they get their picture snapped.
"It's been 50 (km/h) but it’s changed to 30, but you don't see the sign until you're past it and they got you," said one man outside the Centre Street Superstore.
He says he has learned some hard lessons from the tickets, but would appreciate better signage in places to help keep him on the right side of traffic laws.
"Photo radar I think it saves lives, I gotta admit that," he said.
Another woman said the province’s actions sound like a step in the right direction.
"I can see the lower speed limits in playgrounds and schools and I think people respect that," she says. "Sometimes I think it’s more of a money maker than anything else."
According to the province, the 26 Alberta municipalities with photo radar enforcement brought in $203 million in revenue last year. In a statement, CPS said they were unable to share current photo enforcement revenue numbers.
According to past public comments, photo radar revenue in 2018 was roughly $40 million.
CPS says for every dollar spent on remote traffic intersection cameras, society saves $11 on medical, emergency and disability costs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.