‘Not a government cash cow’: Alberta government backing off photo radar use

Although the government has zero tolerance for reckless driving, traditional enforcement is important to keep roadways safe.

“Succesful photo radar should slow drivers down immediately, not send them a ticket in the mail weeks later,” he said.

“These steps, along with traditional enforcement, will improve traffic safety. Our goal is clear, to ensure that photo radar is a tool for protecting people, not a government cash cow,” he added.

“Last year alone, Alberta’s photo radar system generated 145 million dollars, but this revenue came at the expense of public trust.”

Devin Dreeshen advocates against ‘cash cow’ course of photo radar. Capture/Government of Alberta stream

Photo radar as a revenue generator will be suppressed between now and April 1, 2025.

It will no longer be used on provincial highways as of this spring.

They will be restricted to school and playground zones, and construction sites.

He said that there is no planned commitment to make up for lost revenue with the newly implemented regulations.

“This is going to be a hit to the province as well. The ticket revenue off of the photo radar was a share between the province of alberta and the municipalities,” he said.

“With the cash cow being eliminated from these certain sites that were issuing hundreds of tickets a day, and collecting millions of dollars at the end of the day, that will affect the provinces bottom line as well as the municipalities.”

Municipalities will have the opportunity to review every photo radar site during the next four months, determining which operations are ineffective.

by Jayk Sterkenburg

‘Not a government cash cow’: Alberta government backing off photo radar use

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