A northern Alberta town is saying goodbye to photo radar in 2018.
St. Paul town council voted unanimously earlier this month to get rid of the controversial program, which was introduced three years ago.
Mayor Maureen Miller said photo radar in St. Paul was focused on the roads coming in and out of town, around school zones and on the main strip. On Saturday, Miller said she noticed the introduction of photo radar prompted more conversations about responsible driving.
During the municipal election, a question on the ballot asked residents whether they supported the continuation of photo radar, red light, stop sign and speed enforcement programs.
READ MORE: Alberta will review photo radar amid concerns it has become a cash cow
Miller said 960 residents voted no, while 628 voted yes. She said those numbers provided council with a bit more context before a re-evulation of the photo radar program earlier this month.
“We then decided maybe we can manage that without enforcement on the ground.”
Numbers provided by the town show approximately 1,200 speed violations were handed out in 2016. Miller said the final numbers aren’t in yet for this year, but she said fewer tickets were handed out in 2017 compared to the previous year.
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“We just chose to suspend [photo radar] at this time,” Miller said.
“We need to be continually in review of whether behaviours are going to change again and see what measures we are going to have to put in place at that time.”
READ MORE: Photo radar: cash cow or safety initiative?
The mayor is hopeful photo radar won’t need to be resurrected.
“I’m hoping people recognize where our zones are, where our hot spots were,” she said. “People are now aware, so I would really believe they have corrected their habits.”
St. Paul is the latest Alberta town to get rid of photo radar — Morinville decided to change its program after concerns by the then-mayor it was a “cash cow.”
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Drayton Valley scrapped its program months later.
READ MORE: Morinville changes photo radar policy seen by mayor as ‘cash cow’
The issue is so controversial the province announced in May it is doing a review of the photo radar program. John Archer, a spokesperson for the transportation minister, said a request for proposals for the review was issued in mid-December and results are expected within the next few months for the minister to review.
The decision by St. Paul town council has received mixed reviews from residents.
Paul Langdon has lived in St. Paul for two years. He hasn’t received a photo radar ticket before but said he believes it is a good idea.
“Due to the fact people speed, especially through school zones, [it’s] a lot of risk to kids,” he said.
He has some concerns about what the removal of the program could mean for traffic in the town.
“It could be the fact they enforce the photo radar that people are more conscientious watching for photo radar vehicles and slowing down,” he said.
Greg Farnell has also never received a photo radar ticket but he applauds the town’s decision to throw out the program, calling it a “cash cow.”
“It’s pointless. I’d rather be pulled over by a police officer because then it’s actually stopping something rather than getting a ticket in a month,” he said.
Fellow resident Dianne Filipchuk she said the presence of photo radar in St. Paul has changed her driving behaviour.
“I think it has. I’m a lot more cautious, no matter which way I leave work, there’s a school zone. I’m definitely more aware,” she said.
Jesse Hull does not agree.
“I’m glad they’re getting rid of it. It didn’t change anything with driving patterns that I really saw,” he said.
The mayor said speed enforcement will now fall under the responsibility of community police and peace officers.
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