Photo radar voted down in Drayton Valley plebiscite

Drayton Valley residents have voted to scrap photo radar enforcement in their town.

In a plebiscite held Monday, 72 per cent of voters said the town should ditch photo-radar tickets for speeding and 75 per cent want to end tickets for red-light violations.

Mayor Glenn McLean noted, however, that a majority of residents did not vote in the plebiscite.

“It was a majority of those who voted, but of the total eligible voters it was actually quite a minority,” he said.

Under the Municipal Government Act, ballot questions like this one are not binding.

But the mayor says the results will be reviewed at the next council meeting.

“What we were hoping for as a council was a clear message, and you could argue that there was a clear message with these results. It will be very helpful in making our decision.”

Introduced just under two years ago, photo radar for both red light/stop sign violations and speeding infractions has generated much debate in the town, 145 kilometres southwest of Edmonton.

Between May 2015 and September 2016, nearly 12,000 tickets were issued for red light and speeding violations.

Up to August 2016, $231,000 in fines had been generated.