REGINA – Bad driving conditions this spring have many motorists wondering about the number of highway cameras in Saskatchewan.
These cameras give drivers a real-time visual on just what they’re in for on Saskatchewan highways before venturing outside.
The province currently has 4 highway cameras originally set up for maintenance purposes. Last year, they were made available to the public via the Highway Hotline website.
Alberta has more than 80 of these cameras and in B.C. there are over 200.
Many motorists take to social media sources such as Twitter, Skytracker and the Highway Hotline to keep them updated on how weather is affecting road conditions.
“There is really no information other than the Highway Hotline which only goes on by people driving on the roads themselves,” said amateur stormhunter Ryan Crouse.
To fill that gap, Crouse has launched a website to stream live storm coverage.
Crouse has also emailed the provincial government encouraging them to invest in more highway cameras to provide motorists with better visuals on Saskatchewan roads.
The province says they are looking into adding more, but with caution.
“A pavement can look perfectly fine, say on a sunny day, but it can be completely covered in black ice,” said Rosann Semchuck with the ministry of highways and infrastructure.
Each camera costs up to $30,000 to mount and connect to a power source.
*With files from Raquel Fletcher.
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