Edmonton man furious after receiving three photo radar tickets in one day

An Edmonton man is complaining after he got three photo radar tickets in one day.

Aaron Bevan said he knows he was driving fast, but upon closer look, all three tickets were from a five hour period. It’s the final two that has him frustrated. Two within two minutes.

“I understand I was speeding, if I got one ticket I’d pay it without any complaints,” Bevan said. “I’m not saying I can get away with breaking the law or anything like that, but to get fines twice for the same infraction is ridiculous.”

“Wow. Wow. That doesn’t seem right to me,” said traffic court agent Randy Semeniuk of Got a Ticket? Fight it, a firm that specializes in traffic offences. “I think the city should take a look at that. That doesn’t even make sense.”

Bevan said his first ticket was the night before, just before midnight. He’s fine with that. But it was the other two on Calgary Trail at 5 a.m., 1:50 apart from each other at 51 Avenue then 34 Avenue on the way to the airport.

“That’s my story, it’s nothing really fantastic,” Bevan said. “I don’t understand why they need to deal with two of them on the same road kind of thing and not catch those kinds of things.

“It’s not about controlling speed at all, it’s about collecting revenue for the city. We all really know that about photo radar.”

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Semeniuk said he’s never had two tickets, less than two minutes apart come across his desk before. But he thinks Bevan can avoid one of the three.

“I think what he should do is go to the crown prosecutor on his court date and speak to one of the prosecutors, tell him what happened and my advice would be, the prosecutor would throw out one of the tickets. That’s only logical.”

Gary Dyck with the office of traffic safety for the City of Edmonton is defending the enforcement, especially at 34 Avenue.

Dyck adds that photo enforcement at intersections has reduced collisions, as much as 43 per cent in angle collisions.

Semeniuk agrees with Bevan that photo radar is a cash cow.

“Boy they might as while put a green light camera at every single intersection heading down Calgary Trail. Can you imagine how much money the city can make then?”

Dyck declined any further comment on two cameras being so close together, because the matter is before the courts.