Alberta is getting rid of photo radar ‘speed traps’ & here is what to know

Here’s some good news for the commuters out there! Yesterday, the Government of Alberta announced even more restrictions on the use of photo radar equipment with the hopes of all but eliminating ‘speed traps’ in the province. Curious about the plan? You’ve come to the right place- let’s see what they have in mind.

First up, the 2019 freeze on buying new or upgrading existing photo radar, or even adding new photo radar locations, has been extended for another year, until December 1st, 2022. The freeze applies to all 26 municipalities that use photo radar in Alberta. But wait, that’s not all!

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Starting next spring (April, 2022) Alberta will also put in four new rules intended to stop the use of photo radar to generate revenue (aka the Alberta speed traps we know and love), and instead, focus on actually keeping roads safe. These are:

• restrictions on photo radar use in transition zones and on residential roads with less than 50 km/h speed limits (restrictions do not apply to school, playground or construction zones)
• eliminating double ticketing within five minutes
• mandating all photo radar enforcement vehicles be clearly visible
• requiring rationale and data for sites to justify the use of photo radar

So yeah, you won’t have to worry about whether or not a law enforcement officer is hiding behind a tree as the speed limit changes from 50km/h to 40km/h come April of next year. Just stay on the straight and narrow until then, and you can breathe a sigh of relief afterwards!