Alberta bans photo radar on Edmonton, Calgary ring roads

The Alberta government is banning the use of photo radar on ring roads in Calgary and Edmonton but will allow the cities to move them to school, playground, and construction zones.

Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen announced Thursday that the province would be extending the current cap of new photo radar equipment and locations until Dec. 1, 2024. 

Over the next year, the province will allow Calgary and Edmonton to select high-risk areas such as school, playground and construction zones to redeploy the photo radar sites. Calgary's ring road has eight photo radar sites and Edmonton's ring road has 22. 

Some photo radar is being used to generate revenue, not to improve safety, Dreeshen said.

"Photo radar continuing will only be used for safety here in Alberta not to generate millions of dollars for the 26 municipalities that currently allow photo radar," Dreeshen said.

The Alberta government will also work with law enforcement to remove all "fishing hole" locations — spots where the province decides there is no clear safety reason for photo radar and it's only being done to collect money.

Ray Gibbon Drive in St. Albert is one such area, according to Dreeshen, because 1,500 tickets get issued there on a quarterly basis, generating about $200,000 in revenue at that one location.

"In about one year here, just outside of Edmonton, they'll have a million dollars worth of photo radar tickets," Dreeshen said.

"That's about 11 times the average site in the city of Edmonton and there are other fishing holes along the Calgary and Edmonton ring roads — so Stoney Trail and Anthony Henday Drive — now these sites are focused on revenue generation rather than traffic safety."

Since Dec.1, 2019, municipalities have not been able to install new photo radar equipment, upgrade existing photo radar, or add new photo radar locations. The freeze has been extended several times. 

Erin Rutherford, councillor for Ward Anirniq, gets a high volume of requests from concerned residents about traffic safety, especially in residential areas. She said relocating photo radar locations to areas of concern, such as the Yellowhead Trail construction project, is a smart move.

"Photo radar is really about safety," Rutherford said. "I like the idea that we can move to those locations where we've been having high requests."

Lorne Dach, the Alberta NDP's transportation critic, says photo radar shouldn't be used as a revenue generator, but as a public safety instrument. However, he says it's up to the public to decide whether the new locations will be appropriate. 

"We'll see if the public agrees that the locations they're put in are revenue generators or fishing holes or if they're actually changes to improve public safety," Dach said. 

Revenue from photo radar is split between the province and municipalities, with the province receiving 40 per cent and municipalities receiving 60 per cent. In 2022-23, the Alberta government generated $171 million from photo radar across the province. 

Jo-Anne Wright, councillor for Ward Sspomitapi, says that 17th Street in Edmonton is in need of a photo radar truck to deter speeding in the area.

"It's not about the revenue generation. But it's something that we need to reduce the speeding along this road," Wright said.

"I think it's a good first step, it's not going to solve the problem entirely."