The City of Edmonton hopes a new design will make spotting photo radar vehicles easier for drivers.
The city unveiled its new, neon yellow mobile photo radar vehicles on Monday. By January, the city said all 28 speed enforcement vehicles will be wrapped in a bright, neon yellow vinyl. The vehicles will also include decals along the side, which read: “DRIVE SAFE.”
A flag on a flexible pole will also be attached to the vehicles so they are more easily seen by drivers.
“Making these vehicles easier to see helps remind everyone that safe driving is the priority on our roads,” said Jessica Lamarre, acting director for Traffic Safety at the City of Edmonton.
“Reducing speeds reduces collisions, helps move us closer to our Vision Zero goal of zero traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries and increases the livability of our community.”
The city said the changes come after receiving feedback from Edmontonians about the visibility and locations of photo radar vehicles.
“We’re making changes to the criteria for where these vehicles can be parked in order to make sure that Edmontonians can clearly see them as they approach a location,” Lamarre said.
“No new locations will be used, only the existing locations in the city of Edmonton. But we’re adjusting our parking locations within those sites to make sure our vehicles are more transparent and visible for drivers passing by.”
Lamarre said some of those changes include making sure “that natural landscape is not blocking the view of vehicles.”
Photo radar is currently under review in Alberta. Last week, the United Conservative government announced a photo radar freeze that could last two years.
The freeze means municipalities and police agencies in Alberta are not allowed to install new or upgraded photo radar devices, or set up new locations, until the government can examine the current rules.
The UCP said it wants to make sure photo radar isn’t being used as a money-making cash cow.
Lamarre said the new design will be applied to the city’s existing fleet — new vehicles are not being purchased. The cost of the new design is about $100,000, which will be paid for through revenue from the city’s automated enforcement reserve, Lamarre said.
The City of Edmonton publicly posts photo radar locations online on a weekly basis.