Recently, the government of Alberta announced its intention to phase-out the use of “photo radar” across the province. The goal is to reduce the number of sites where automated speed enforcement is used from 2,200 to about 660. In the overwhelmingly populist slant of the current provincial government, Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen delivered the news in an apron emblazoned with the words “Cash Cow.”

In 2019, almost two decades after the provincial government under BC Liberal premier Gordon Campbell eliminated “photo radar,” intersection safety cameras began to operate in British Columbia once again. Right now, 140 different devices monitor high-risk intersections, looking for red light and speed violations.

The concept of speed-on-green intersection cameras, or red light cameras that also capture vehicles that are speeding through intersections, remains popular across the province. More than seven in ten British Columbians (72 per cent, down one point since November 2023) approve of their use. This includes majorities of residents who voted for the BC NDP (76 per cent), the Conservative........

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