This release was issued under a previous government.
Government of Alberta News Release
| For immediate release | December 16, 1999 |
Photo Radar Guidelines Issued to Police
Edmonton... New guidelines on the use of photo radar have been finalized and sent to those police agencies in Alberta that use photo radar.
The guidelines were developed by Alberta Justice and Alberta Infrastructure in consultation with the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police. The intent of the guidelines is to establish consistency among all jurisdictions using photo radar and to ensure it is not used as a revenue generator, but to enforce speed limits and reduce traffic collisions.
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Note to Editors: Letter to police agencies and guidelines attached.
For more information, please contact:
Ron Glen - Minister's Office, Alberta Infrastructure - (780) 427-2080
Leanne Stangeland - Communications, Alberta Infrastructure - (780) 427-7674
Dial 310-0000 for toll free connection outside Edmonton
December 15, 1999
Dear:
We are pleased to enclose the final version of the Photo Radar Guidelines. These guidelines were developed in consultation with your law enforcement agency. We received a lot of constructive feedback and we thank you for this.
Photo radar is an appropriate tool for traffic safety management because we all agree that the goal of our joint effort with respect to these guidelines is the safety of the public. Albertans clearly support the enforcement of traffic legislation.
The Photo Radar Guidelines will come into effect on January 1, 2000. However, it is recognized that the law enforcement agencies and municipalities require some time to prepare to implement portions of the guidelines. We want to ensure consistency across the province so the following time lines for implementation are proposed.
In order to allow your municipality the appropriate amount of time to have signs made and erected along these thoroughfares, the permanent signage portion of the guidelines will not come into full effect until June 1, 2000. We understand that it may be difficult in many locations to erect signs in the winter season. We would like to work with you to ensure that the type of sign used in your municipality is consistent across the province.
With respect to evaluation of the effectiveness of photo radar on speeding, we ask that your enforcement agency provide the information as set out in the guideline for the calendar year of 1999 by March 1, 2000 to Alberta Justice and Alberta Infrastructure.
These guidelines are significant in that they will assist in traffic safety through speed management. The use of photo radar with a traffic safety focus will benefit Albertans. Again, we thank you for your input into this important matter and we look forward to working with you to ensure the continued appropriate application of this important traffic safety tool. Revisions to the guidelines are possible based on future reviews following implementation.
Yours truly,
| (original signed) | (original signed) |
| Dave Hancock, Q.C. | Ed Stelmach |
Photo Radar Guidelines
A. PREAMBLE
Photo radar is an important enforcement tool for traffic safety. These guidelines are designed to ensure fairness and consistency in the use of photo radar across Alberta.
Albertans value the safety and security of their communities. They want to know their children will be safe when they cross the road to school. Road construction workers need safe working conditions, commuters want to drive to work and home in safety and police members need to be safe when enforcing speed limits. Albertans support the enforcement of traffic legislation to promote traffic safety and they expect that drivers who endanger the lives and safety of others will be charged.
Photo radar is one of the tools available to police to enforce safe driving.
Albertans also expect photo radar to be used fairly and with consistency throughout Alberta recognizing local concerns in accordance with community based policing. Public advisories, consistent use of signage and clear criteria for selecting sites that have been identified as high risk will promote the appropriate application of this tool.
A safe, relatively even flow of traffic - recognizing prevailing road conditions - is an important consideration in traffic safety. These factors should be considered when selecting photo radar sites.
Photo radar, combined with other speed enforcement methods, can help lower the number of collisions and fatalities on our roads. These guidelines include a requirement for ongoing evaluation to measure the effectiveness of photo radar at lowering speeds and reducing collisions at each site.
These guidelines will apply to all police services, and employers of special constables who are currently using photo radar or are planning to use this technology.
B. PRINCIPLES - USE OF PHOTO RADAR
Safety must determine where photo radar will be used. This criteria includes the safety of citizens and the safety of police officers. High-risk locations are those where the safety of citizens or police officers are at risk.
Photo radar sites will not be selected randomly.
C. GUIDELINES
1. Site Selection Criteria
One or more of these criteria must be met before photo radar is deployed at a specific site. Locations where photo radar could be used include:
- Where conventional enforcement is unsafe or ineffective;
- Areas with a history of collisions;
- Areas with an identifiable, documented history of speeding problems;
- High-speed, multi-lane arteries;
- School and play-ground zones;
- Construction zones; and
- Areas where the public or a community has expressed concerns related to speeding and these problems are assessed and confirmed by the enforcement agency responding to the public concern.
The deployment of photo radar in speed transition zones must be justified by the site selection criteria.
2. Public Awareness
A key element to the success of any enforcement practice, including the use of photo radar, is the implementation of a strong public awareness campaign.
The public should be made aware of what the problems are and be encouraged to help identify problem areas. They should be aware of what is being done to correct or manage the problem and they should be informed on a regular basis of the results - positive or negative of using photo radar.
Signage should inform drivers about photo radar locations:
Photo radar sites should be advertised on a daily or weekly basis by notifying the local media.
3. Evaluation
Each enforcement agency shall evaluate the effectiveness of its use of photo radar. The evaluation will be within the technological capabilities of the agency completing the evaluation. The results will be reported annually to Alberta Justice and Alberta Infrastructure.
At a minimum, the evaluation shall address:
- The impact of photo radar, over time, on reducing the speeds of violators at sites being monitored by photo radar.
- The number of collisions at the sites being monitored in those municipalities where this information is available.