'No consequences': Lethbridge police chief concerned about changes to photo radar

The inside of a photo radar vehicle is seen in Lethbridge. (CTV News)

LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. — Lethbridge’s police chief says changes to the use of photo radar in Alberta are going to increase the number of violations being handed out to those breaking traffic enforcement laws.

The provincial government is expecting to release updated guidelines on Automated Traffic Enforcement (ATE) in December, according to a memo sent to Edmonton city council and obtained by CTV News.

The changes include the banning of photo radar on provincial highways and roads that connect with provincial highways, restricting photo radar enforcement to playgrounds, schools and construction zones and the elimination of speeding enforcement by intersection safety devices.

“Doing traffic enforcement through the use of technology and innovation is going to be taken away from us,” said Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh with the Lethbridge Police Service (LPS).

“(In) the end, we can only see bad drivers continue what they’re doing and if there's no consequence for them, they're going to do more of it.”

In a statement, Transportation and Economic Corridors Minister Devin Dreeshen told CTV News his ministry wants to ensure photo radar is used for traffic safety rather than revenue generation and has been working with municipalities and law enforcement to remove "fishing hole" locations.

But, Mehdizadeh says the changes are only going to put a strain on staffing.

“If we don't these devices and technology to, at least, keep people honest and get them to abide by the traffic rules, we have to deploy resources and traditional ways to do this, which is in fact going to cost taxpayers more money,” Mehdizadeh said.

Mehdizadeh said the ATE program has improved driver behaviour by reducing speed and decreasing the number and severity of collisions.

The chief says he, along with others including other police chiefs, met with the province about a month and a half ago to raise their concerns about the changes.

“We are fully respectful of the decision the province makes in this regard,” he said. “We just want to give them, at least, our professional opinion on what this can do and what this will do in our community when you look at road safety and enforcement action or lack of it in this case.”

The LPS says money collected from photo radar tickets goes to the City of Lethbridge to pay for the ATE program.

“The dollars that come from photo radar does come to the city, it doesn't go into a coffer that can be used for anything, it goes into safety measures,” said Lethbridge Mayor Blaine Hyggen.

“So, if it's signage, if it's different safety initiatives within our community, so it all stays within those safety measures.”

While the amount of radar locations will drop with the changes, Mehdizadeh says what residents want is the complete opposite.

“The majority (of residents) want these devices to stay, and in fact, they want more of them if anything,” he said.

In 2019, the Alberta government put a provincial freeze on adding new photo radar locations.

Dreeshen says the government would finalize the list of approved photo radar locations by the end of the year.