Edmontonians received far fewer tickets during the latest Operation 24 Hours, something police say is due to changes to automated enforcement tools like photo radar. A total of 695 traffic violations were issued during the latest 24-hour traffic campaign by the Edmonton Police Service (EPS), held on May 15. That is in comparison to 902 violations from a September operation and 1,300 during a campaign in October. Of the 695 violations, 195 were related to speed. Eighty-three were red light violations, 263 were traffic safety act violations, five were distracted driving and six were criminal code driving offences. “Given the changes in effect for Automated Traffic Enforcement (ATE), these numbers are quite a bit lower than last year,” said EPS Sgt. Kerry Bates. “Our officers continue to use our existing resources to conduct traffic enforcement and ATE is still in place around playgrounds and construction sites, as well as at select red lights. “EPS will continue to work with our partners at the City of Edmonton to measure data to identify areas of need within the city.” New rules for automated enforcement rolled out across Alberta starting on April 1 – including limiting photo radar use to school, playground and construction zones. Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen has called automated enforcement a “cash cow,” while police and city officials have said it’s a useful public safety measure. In March, the Alberta government said municipalities could request additional photo radar sites in “high-collision” areas.
