A government plan to add technology capable of issuing automated speeding tickets to red light cameras at 35 B.C. intersections is being met with loud criticism.
- Drivers beware: Automated speeding tickets coming to 35 B.C. intersections
- Interactive map: Which intersections are getting automated speed enforcement?
"It appears they may be repurposing it to gain some extra revenue from speeders perhaps," Liberal public safety critic Mike Morris told CTV News Vancouver.
In 2001, the BC Liberals scrapped a wildly unpopular photo radar program that was criticized for being too costly and inaccurate.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said "this isn't about revenue," but is aimed at deterring " those who think they can drive excessively."
Some drivers CTV News spoke to said they believe speeders should only be ticketed if they're pulled over by police, while other said they support “whatever keeps drivers safe.”
Jeff Marshall, who is a truck driver, told CTV News “it’s definitely a cash grab” and that he sees distracted driving as a bigger problem.
The Intersection Safety Camera program reported an average of 10,500 vehicles per year moving at least 30 km/h over the posted speed limit.
Cofounder of Sense BC, Ian Tootill argued this puts, “the onus on the owner to prove innocence, versus the state prove guilt.” And he explained to CTV News, it doesn’t take the driver off the road.
“If they’re drunk or impaired in some way, they’re not apprehended,” he said. “Photo radar does not issue demerit points to the driver. It issues a fine to the owner.”
But Farnworth says if drivers regularly speed, they will be caught at some point. The province won’t be releasing the threshold that leads to an automatic tickets.
