Alberta’s government announced sweeping changes to photo radar speed enforcement in the province on Dec. 2, promising to end what some Albertans have long considered a cash cow for municipalities.

Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen, said that effective April 1, 2025, photo radar use on numbered provincial highways will end and will be restricted to school, playground, and construction zones.

Wearing a custom made “no cash cow” apron and button at the media announcement, he said that the province will also be ending the use of so-called Speed on Green enforcement, limiting intersection photo radar to red light use only.

“I am proud to announce a new approach that will instill confidence in traffic safety measures,” said Minister Dreeshen.

“Today, I’m announcing the end of photo radar as a revenue generator.”

He said that the new restrictions would be limited to where enforcement truly matters, and that would result in a 70 per cent reduction in the number of photo radar sites across the province from 2,200 to 650.

“We are encouraging municipalities to explore traffic calming measures such as electronic speed warning signs and increased visibility of photo radar use at remaining sites,” Minister Dreeshen said.

“Municipalities will also have the flexibility to request additional sites outside of these three areas if they show evidence of a high frequency of collisions”

Minister Dreeshen said that municipalities will also be able to apply for funding from the province to re-engineer physically unsafe locations.

He said that the province would be reviewing every photo radar site over the next four months.

“We’re not banning speed limits. Obviously, we, last year, took photo radar use off of the ring roads in Edmonton, the ring roads in Calgary, and we’ve seen that as a huge success. Drivers were happy to see that there wasn’t going to be a photo radar person or site at the bottom of a hill where they would see that you would actually have a disruption in the flow of traffic,” he said.

“I think this process going forward, working with municipalities to know that if there is a dangerous area in the city, that photo radar could be used on a case by case basis.”

City councillor supportive of changes, but data shows photo radar has led to more safety

In a statement sent out by the province on the changes, Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean was quoted as saying he was happy for the changes.

“I’m happy to see the province focusing photo radar on playground and construction zones. We need to prioritize safety where it matters most—protecting our children and workers on Calgary’s roads. I’m proud to support this vital step toward safer communities.”

Among the top 5 revenue generating locations identified by the province was one in Calgary, located on Beddington Trail and Country Hills Boulevard NW, which saw 23,977 tickets issued in 2023 for a gross revenue of $2,717,393 in fines.

Since Dec of 2017, there have been 17 traffic collisions at that camera location, according to open data from the City of Calgary. The intersection of Beddington Trail and Berkshire Boulevard, located one kilometre from the photo radar site had 32.

The previous intersection ahead of the photo radar site at Beddington Trail and Hidden Creek Drive NW, had 66.

In Calgary, the rate of photo radar violations per 100 registered vehicles has been steadily falling from a high in 2016.

In that year, there was a rate of 29.2 per 100 vehicles, or near to 300,000 violations in Calgary. In 2023, that number fell to 7.8 per 100 vehicles, and near to 80,000 violations.

According to data compiled by the Calgary Police Service, the number of collisions at intersections nearest to the top 20 photo radar locations in the city were at a low of 531 in 2023—with none being fatalities—down by more than 23 per cent from 2021.

That data also indicated that the rate of collisions per capita in the city has also fallen significantly, from 84.8 collisions per 100,000 people in 2008, to 38.2 per 100,000 in 2023. A drop of 55 per cent.

“This decrease in the rate of collisions relative to registered vehicles indicates that photo radar is indeed a factor in the enhancement of traffic safety on Calgary roadways,” said CPS.

Data also provided by the Calgary Police Service showed that in 2023, 210 million vehicles passed through one of the city’s Speed on Green enforcement locations, with approximately 0.08 per cent of drivers receiving a violation ticket.

The average speed of those violations, said CPS, was 18 km/h above the posted limit. The average decrease for all drivers through Speed on Green locations was 6 km/h, with a decrease by 73.8 per cent in serious and fatal collisions at those locations.

“The presence of automated enforcement in Calgary has contributed to a decline in the number of collisions at photo radar and red light camera deployment locations. Photo radar has also contributed to a decrease in the severity of injuries,” said CPS.

“The decreases in speed, number of collisions, and the increases in the volume of vehicles on Calgary’s roadways are critical factors in determining the automated enforcement program’s effectiveness. The data collected by the Calgary Police Service supports the claim that automated enforcement technologies have contributed to an increase in traffic safety within the City of Calgary.”