The booming metropolis of Morinville installed its first ever traffic light only a few years ago. No history of traffic accidents, deaths or many safety issues in our little town. So why in the world do we need photo radar?
Simple — it’s a moneymaker for the town. I spent three-and-a-half hours last Tuesday fighting my tickets, but you only get a reduction whether it is right or wrong. Both were given at the same spot on my way to work, heading east on secondary highway 642 towards Highway 28. The enforcement vehicle was strategically hidden by the pump house in what the Alberta Solicitor General term a ‘transition zone.’ To quote from the Automated Traffic Enforcement Technology Guidelines, written by the Province of Alberta, “automated traffic technology should not be used in transitions zones, when a driver is approaching a higher/lower speed zone and is within sight of a higher/lower posted speed sign, unless there are exigent and well documented safety concerns that would justify its use.” In other words, that vehicle should not be set up at that location.
As I waited my turn to see the prosecutor, I asked many people where they got their ticket and how much. Most had been in the same spot. It was sad to see the soldiers who fight for our country asking for extensions to pay. Or the young couple expecting a child who both travel that way and didn’t see the hidden vehicle. They had $1,200 in fines. You can see ahead where you are expected to travel at 100 km/h. From the enforcement vehicle location to when you are there is exactly five seconds. Increasing your speed to reach the posted speed limit, which is mere seconds ahead, should not be a punishment.
Everyone waiting had nothing good to say about our town. Good PR job. They are only angry and we all know this has nothing to do with safety. If the town wanted to promote safety they would publish the locations in advance. If you received a ticket, take a minute and write the town and petition to get this money grab out of our town and while you are at it, ask for your money back if your ticket was issued in a transition zone.
Sheila Bullock, Morinville
