‘Photo radar isn’t a silver bullet for traffic safety,’ says Devin Dreeshen, the Danielle Smith government’s transportation minister and no fan of photo radar
One person’s cash cow is another person’s milk.
The cops like photo radar. They don’t see it as a cash cow.
No, they tell us photo radar is all about law and order, public safety, keeping the roads safe.
Alberta has more photo radar, way more, than anywhere else in Canada but it’s not much safer than elsewhere.
No matter. Restrict photo radar and there will be an increase in nasty and sometimes deadly collisions. That’s what Calgary top cop Mark Neufeld says.
People talk about fishing holes, the police say there aren’t any fishing holes.
They aren’t parked at fishing holes, in low-accident areas where it’s easy to nab people, like stretches of road where the speed limit quickly changes to a lower limit.
Calgary city hall declares and insists photo radar isn’t a cash cow, it just generates cash. Riddle me that, Batman!
If the government of Premier Danielle Smith really clamps down on photo radar use what is the UCP going to do for the city cops when there are fewer dollars from fines?
That’s what Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek asks.
He’s a busy dude.
Dreeshen is not a big fan of photo radar though he does not recommend banning it, as was done long ago by Mike Harris, an Ontario premier of the muscular conservative persuasion.
He says no decisions have been made by the UCP cabinet, Smith’s inner circle. They have until Dec. 1 to do something.
In the cities, Dreeshen would just like to see photo radar in school zones, playground zones and construction zones. Period. Full stop.
But the Smith government can still decide to allow more photo radar locations.
There are likely those in Smith’s crowd who don’t want to piss off the cops or don’t want to get into more aggravation with the likes of Mayor Gondek or just generally don’t want to step out and take a stand on anything where public opinion is divided.
A couple in Smith’s inner circle have taken on the photo radar cash cow themselves in the past and the cow won. Easily.
So will the UCP go along with the kind of very restricted use of photo radar Dreeshen is pitching?
“Maybe,” says Dreeshen.
The man sheds no tears for the city police or Calgary city council when they lament the loss of dough from fines.
Dreeshen says photo radar is not about making money.
For people who say photo radar is no cash cow they sure do cry if they get less milk.
He says many Albertans rightly see photo radar fishing holes. Others want the cops to put photo radar where they please.
The province’s transportation minister, that’s Dreeshen’s official title, says public reaction on the issue is “mixed.”
He says “photo radar isn’t a silver bullet for traffic safety.”
What is the view of UCP politicians?
“There’s a wide variety of opinions.”
The cash cow is one tough critter.
Years ago the NDP government under Premier Rachel Notley vowed to humanely put down the photo radar cash cow. Not!
In a nosecount, almost two out of three Albertans believed photo radar was to a great or moderate extent about the cash. Only one in 12 Albertans thought photo radar wasn’t about the money at all.
Two years earlier, the NDP called a news conference about photo radar before Wildrose took to the stage on the same issue.
Remember them?
In 2019, the UCP under former premier Jason Kenney talked tough. Photo radar was on its last legs.
At that time, some in the UCP talked tough, others were much closer to wet noodles.
“This cow is taking a mighty long time to die,” said this scribbler at the time.
In the end, the government served up word salads, not red meat on this file.
Now, earlier this year, the Danielle Smith government was on the road to slashing 80 percent or more of Alberta photo radar.
“A lot of people have called photo radar a cash cow and I’m happy to say the cash cow is going to be on the barbecue this summer in Alberta,” said Dreeshen in June.
But, come December, will the cow still be in the barn, contented as all get out, having won yet another reprieve?