Watch above: Photo radar is being rolled out along various routes across the province this week. Joel Senick finds out whether the speed traps change drivers’ habits for better or worse.
SASKATOON – Cameras and signage for the new photo speed enforcement program are being installed in Saskatoon. Good news for speeders – tickets will not be issued until the New Year.
“This week we are installing the cameras and signs at all the remaining photo speed locations around the province,” said Kelley Brinkworth, the manager of media relations for Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI).
Once implemented, the program will be in a test-drive phase for two months as it sends warnings to drivers instead of tickets. The period also gives SGI a chance to test their equipment and see if certain areas of the roadway they need to further target.
Read more: Photo radar should be operational in Saskatoon next week
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“If it seems like a lot of people are still speeding through those zones maybe we need to look at installing more signs or that kind of thing,” said Brinkworth.
Once active, the cameras will rotate around Circle Drive and in certain school zones throughout the city. Drivers will not be aware of where a camera is stationed on any given day and the frequency of rotations has yet to be decided. However, Brinkworth added that SGI would rely on the police service and city for guidance in developing a schedule.
Read more: Photo radar approved for Saskatoon
Some opponents of the program have called it a cash grab, however Saskatoon police Chief Clive Weighill says drivers won’t be ticketed for going only one or two kilometers over the speed limit.
“The whole purpose of this is not to make a buck, it’s to slow people down and I can assure you if there are any inappropriate tickets, they will stop on my desk,” Weighill said last week.
Read more: Photo radar for Highway 12 at Martensville, Sask.
Carl Kuhnke is an advocate of photo radar and says slowing down will not only help drivers save money on speeding tickets but also on their taxes.
“It’s an economic issue for the citizen because everyone that gets in an accident and goes to the hospital, costs a fantastic amount of money,” said Kuhnke, who is the managing director of the Saskatchewan Centre of Excellence for Transportation and Infrastructure.
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