REGINA – SGI has released more statistics from the province’s photo radar pilot program, which has raked in $8.4 million for the province in fines as of the end of 2015.
It’s been over a year since photo radars were installed on Saskatchewan highways – and it looks like they’re working, somewhat.
“Four of the five for sure have seen reductions year over year,” Minister Responsible for SGI Don McMorris said.
According to SGI, the number of speeding violations has gone down significantly in all five of the camera’s locations in Regina, Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, White City, Sask. and Martensville, Sask. The decrease ranging from 36 per cent to as much as 65 per cent.
“SGI’s goal was to have less than one percent speeding in all the locations,” McMorris added.
Most locations have reached that goal. In February, there were nearly 700 speeders on Ring Road which resulted in 122 tickets issued.
On Circle Drive in Saskatoon, close to 4,000 speeders were tracked with 1,000 tickets handed out.
But despite the success of photo radars on Saskatchewan highways, that same victory has not translated to deterring speeding in school zones.
“Quite a few years ago there was a small child killed down the street,” Charles Donvil, a resident in Regina’s east-end said.
He said even with a radar box in front of the school across from his house, drivers just aren’t slowing down.
“Still traffic through the school zone is going pretty fast,” Donvil added.
Even though speeding in Regina school zones is down by nearly 50 per cent since January last year, the number of speeding violations are up for school zones in Saskatoon. Violations have also more than doubled in Moose Jaw.
McMorris admits there is still more work to do and says it’s why the government will continue studying the data.
“I think we need to go through a cycle of two years as does SGI to see whether it’s effective.”