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By Alessia Proietti

Report Q4 2024

Red Deer considers removing photo radar vehicles for other form of safety program

Jan 29, 2024 | 4:22 PM

The City of Red Deer will consider removing photo radar vehicles next year for another type of safety program.

During 2024 budget deliberations last week, city council directed administration to bring back a report on the use of vehicle mounted automated traffic enforcement by the end of the fourth quarter this year.

The resolution came after it was shared that revenues from the program have decreased significantly last year, becoming a financial loss for the City.

READ: BUDGET: Red Deer Protective Services talk overtime costs and photo radar losses

Bart Rowland, Municipal Policing Services Manager, said that a decrease in violations came after the Alberta government imposed new regulations in 2023, such as mandatory “Drive Safe” stickers on all vehicles.

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He says while the City currently places vehicles on corridors, like 67 Street or in the downtown, and near playground and school zones, he anticipates further regulations for vehicles to strictly be placed in the latter two areas.

READ: Alberta government changing photo radar rules

He stated revenues have decreased from $1.3 million in 2018 to $416,000 in 2023. However, the cost to operate the program is roughly $800,000, between equipment, contracting, and staffing, leaving a $375,000 difference for the City.

The City has three vehicles for the program, each operating 15 hours a day at various locations approved by the provincial government and reviewed annually.

Rowland says 2022 was the last year where the program was self-funded.

He says the point of the program is not for revenues but for safety. As a result, their report will explore alternatives to vehicle mounted automated traffic enforcement that can promote the same goal.

“The goal of the whole program is to have a safe community. So, even if the cost was the same, but we’re getting better compliance or are able to provide safe community outcomes through the ability for officers to actually provide better enforcement and more general enforcement, that will be the goal of where we look at it from a report perspective. If we’re subsidizing this program $375,000 a year, is there a better program out there to get a better outcome,” he said.

Some options include having municipal or RCMP officers instead, which will add the penalty of demerit points. He says this would also address resident complaints about receiving tickets in the mail three weeks after violation.

Another alternative would be automated intersection cameras. The City currently has 10 such cameras, costing about $230,000 annually for contract equipment costs, and generating around $600,000 in revenues.

When asked if community safety has been achieved as a result of the photo radar vehicles, Rowland said that question would be answered in the report, after looking at historical data and statistics like number of accidents and infractions over the years.

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