There is opposition to the province’s move to tweak red lights cameras at 35 intersections to crack down on dangerous speeders.
The cameras will automatically ticket the owners of the vehicles that speed through the intersections irrespective of if the lights are red, yellow or green light.
Ian Tootill with Sense BC says it doesn’t matter how the government spins the story, this is photo radar.
“You can put whatever lipstick on a pig but this is defacto conviction,” he says. “The convictions happen after the fact. It used to be that there is a presumption of innocence and it’s up to the state to prove guilt. But now, it’s sort of an assumption of guilt where it’s up to the person who’s accused to prove innocence.”
The province says between 2012 and 2016, sites with intersection safety cameras saw an average of 10,500 vehicles each year going at least 30 km/hr over the speed limit. It also says that speed has led to over 11,500 collisions every year in intersections.
“We have a record number of crashes happening – more than 900 a day in our province – and about 60 per cent of the crashes on our roads are at intersections,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
“We’ve taken time to systematically pinpoint the locations linked to crashes and dangerous speeds that are best suited to safely catching, ticketing and changing the behaviour of those who cause carnage on B.C. roads.”
Tootill however was not buying Farnworth’s arguments, who also said this new program isn’t anything like the unpopular photo radar program that was scrapped in 2001.
“We don’t dispute the necessity for intersection enforcement. What we’re doing is vehemently opposing the methodology here, which is wrong,” Tootill says. “And by the way, it’s been rejected by the people of British Columbia. This battle has already been won before. We don’t want automated speed enforcement – aka photo radar.”
He was also not impressed with the province not disclosing the speeds that will trigger the camera.
“People can’t remember what they did yesterday let alone what they did two weeks or two months ago, which is when they’ll get the tickets,” he added.
“Let’s say that they are speeding excessively or driving badly or they are intoxicated, then we want those people apprehended. We don’t want the owner of the vehicle that they are driving to get a fine in the mail a few weeks later.”
None of the cameras are near Kamloops, but two are in Kelowna, one is in Nanaimo, while the rest are scattered across the Lower Mainland.
