(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Troy Gillard

Not so fast!

Alberta puts freeze on more photo radar devices as part of ‘cash cow’ review

Nov 26, 2019 | 3:03 PM

EDMONTON – Alberta is putting a freeze on more photo radar while it digs deeper into data to make sure the devices are used for safety and not as a cash cow.

Transportation Minister Ric McIver says that, as of Sunday, municipalities and police agencies will not be allowed to install new or upgraded photo radar devices or use existing equipment at new locations.

McIver says the freeze could last up to two years as the province consults and collects information.

““Our goal is to ensure photo radar is used for safety, not to generate backdoor tax revenue,” McIver said in a release. “Albertans are skeptical about the impact photo radar has on safety and we do not have useful data to analyze so we can make a decision.”

Changes were made to photo radar earlier this year by the former NDP government, after a report found municipalities were getting $220 million a year in revenue with minimal effect on reducing collisions or improving safety.

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The NDP government banned or put strict limits on photo radar at reputed cash cow spots, including transition zones on highways where speed limits can change quickly, and on multiple-lane highways.

McIver, with the current United Conservative government, said it will continue with those bans.

Alberta first introduced photo radar in 1988 and is currently used in 27 municipalities in the province.

Red Deer collected $1.5 million in revenue from automated traffic enforcement in 2016-17 ($220 million province-wide).

(The Canadian Press)