Even the most die-hard cheerleader for photo radar must surely think twice about how much they like the concept after getting a photo radar ticket. Rubbing salt in the wound for some is the fact that the ticket might come from getting caught unawares, even when they believe they are following the rules.
At the Aug. 10 Town of St. Paul council meeting, Coun. Norm Noel noted that photo radar enforcement was set up at transition zones, leading in and out of town, saying that he questioned if this was really an issue of safety and more of a ticket or cash grab, calling it “entrapment.”
Technically, transition zones don’t exist in Alberta: if the sign says 70 km/hr, that’s the speed one should be traveling. But since people act in accordance with what they see, for instance, by speeding up when they see a 100 km/hr sign ahead, the guidelines governing photo radar discourage operators from monitoring these areas. Alberta’s Automated Traffic Enforcement Technology Guidelines says photo radar should not be used in transition zones “unless there are well documented concerns that would justify its use.”
When mayor and council agreed to use photo radar, they cited issues like people racing by main street at 90 km/hr, which of course raises eyebrows and the point that perhaps extra measures were needed. However, supporters of photo radar did so with the trust that it would be used judiciously, for instance, to monitor areas where children or pedestrian safety was most at risk, instead of the place where operators could dole out the highest number of tickets. Perhaps they should have been more cynical, like the vocal opponents who circulated a petition against its use.
If photo radar is not meant to be used as a cash cow, but as an extra measure of safety, then perhaps contracts should look at paying operators a flat wage instead of percentages of ticket revenues. In the meantime, one can hope that the concerns of people like Coun. Norm Noel are addressed by a change in operators’ tactics.
