Automated Traffic Enforcement

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Safety is our priority. Safe streets keep Edmontonians working, moving and thriving.

Speeding is a top safety concern to Edmontonians.

The City uses automated traffic enforcement in combination with other traffic safety programs to make our streets safer for everyone.

Automated traffic enforcement in Edmonton includes intersection safety devices and mobile speed enforcement.

The Safe Mobility Strategy 2021-2025 is available to review at edmonton.ca/safestreets. It outlines what we have learned and where we will be going to make our streets safer and more livable for all Edmontonians.

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Automated Traffic Enforcement

Encouraging safe speeds is important to safe streets and livable communities because slowing down gives everyone more time to react to the unexpected, avoid collisions, and lower the severity of collision-related injuries.

The City is committed to transparent, accountable and evidence-based safe mobility programs to reach Vision Zero through the Safe Mobility Strategy.

Edmontonians can:

Explore the Safe Streets Map which includes locations of all automated enforcement sites in Edmonton
View a list of all mobile speed enforcement sites on Open Data
View a list of all intersection safety device locations on Open Data
View the Site Assessments* for each automated enforcement sites through Open Data or on the Safe Streets Map
Read the 2022 Automated Traffic Enforcement Annual Report

*Site Assessments are provided in the format that is required for the City of Edmonton to be in compliance with Provincial Guidelines.

Mobile speed enforcement vehicles have bright yellow wraps or decals to be more visible to drivers and are parked so that they can be seen without obstruction by the direction of traffic they are monitoring.

Has automated enforcement reduced crashes?

Yes, total crashes at mobile enforcement sites have decreased 18% when comparing pre-Vision Zero (2013-2015) to post-Vision Zero (2016-2019) averages and decreased an additional 20% between 2019 and 2021.

Has automated enforcement supported safer speeds?

Yes, 2019 to 2021 the percentage of drivers who received a ticket has decreased by 63%, showing that people are slowing down and are participating in creating safe, livable streets that help us reach our goal of Vision Zero.

Speeding ticket numbers from mobile automated enforcement locations have been decreasing every year since 2016; overall, violations have reduced by over 77%
Data shows extreme speeding violations have been decreasing every year since Vision Zero was adopted. Violations, where drivers were travelling more than 21 km/h over the speed limit, have reduced by 63% between 2019 and 2021

Source: 2021 Vision Zero Annual Report

How often are drivers speeding?

The vast majority of drivers are following speed limits in Edmonton:

In 2021, less than 0.5% of observed vehicles through mobile enforcement were issued a ticket
At intersection safety devices, only 0.013% of vehicles received a red light running ticket and only 0.058% of vehicles received a speeding violation ticket

Source: 2021 Vision Zero Annual Report

Where does the money from automated traffic enforcement go?

Funds generated by automated traffic enforcement are held in the Traffic Safety Automated Enforcement Reserve and do not go into general City revenues.

Through the reserve, funds are reinvested back into traffic safety programs, including:

20% of the total fine goes to Victims of Crime Fund
40% goes to the Alberta Government
The remaining fine balance goes to the Reserve Fund to support Council’s traffic safety priorities

Thanks to funding from this Reserve, more than 500 traffic safety devices have been installed throughout Edmonton, including 150 signalling improvements and intersection upgrades, 165 school traffic safety reviews and more than 200 driver feedback signs.

Why are safe speeds important to the City and to Vision Zero?

Eliminating traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries on Edmonton streets is essential to a healthy, vibrant city for all residents.

As shown in this graph , slowing down gives drivers more time to react to the unexpected and can help avoid collisions, making speeds safe is important to make streets safer and more livable.

Where can I find more information on automated enforcement?

More information can be found online at the Alberta Government.

Speeding and Red Light Tickets

Tickets, otherwise known as a Notice of Offence:

Are mailed out
Have a photo of the vehicle and
Contain details including the posted speed, violation speed and fine amount

If you receive a Notice of Offence for a red light or speeding violation, as the registered owner of the plate you will have options to respond.

Who Gets the Ticket?

The registered owner of the vehicle receives the ticket. This will not result in any demerit points assessed to your operator's licence.

Section 160(1) of the Traffic Safety Act states:

If a vehicle is involved in an offence referred to in Section 157 or a bylaw, the owner of that vehicle is guilty of an offence.

How many traffic notices can be issued to one vehicle?

As of April 1, 2022, multiple traffic notices shall not be issued to the same vehicle within a five minute period in the same municipality. If more than one traffic ticket notice is issued within five minutes of each other in Edmonton, please email photoenforcement@edmonton.ca.

Review Your Ticket

You can review full-sized, colour images of the alleged violation.

Review Your Ticket

Pay Your Ticket

For up-to-date information, visit traffictickets.alberta.ca.

Contest Your Ticket

Once tickets have been issued, the Provincial Government is responsible for management of the process. For information about how to contest a ticket, visit traffictickets.alberta.ca.

Intersection Safety Devices

Intersection Safety Devices, known as red-light and speed-on-green cameras, are fully automated and mounted above intersections to capture violations.

Intersection collisions cause nearly 70% of all traffic injuries. Automated traffic-enforcement technology at intersections has proven to reduce red-light running and speeding, thereby reducing the number and severity of crashes.

What do Intersection Safety Devices Do?

Intersection Safety Devices, known as red-light and speed-on-green cameras, monitor intersections and photograph vehicles that speed or run through red lights.

Intersections are high-risk locations for collisions. Risky behaviour like speeding and running red lights has serious consequences, including collisions, injuries and death. These consequences are preventable.

Have Intersection Safety Devices reduced crashes?

Crashes at Intersection Safety Device locations continue to decline - crashes were 16% lower between 2019 and 2021.

Source: 2021 Vision Zero Annual Report

Where are they located?

Use this map of intersection safety devices to find out where they are located. On the street, each location is signed.

How do red light cameras work?

Red light cameras only photograph vehicles that enter a monitored intersection after the traffic light turns red. Our lane-specific technology detects moving vehicles and triggers the camera just before and after the vehicle enters the intersection to clearly show the violation occurred.

What do I do when faced with an amber light in a signalized intersection?

When faced with an amber light at a signalized intersection, drivers decide to either drive through or brake and come to a complete stop. If they are near the stop line when the light turns amber, it may be necessary to drive through. However, braking and stopping is the appropriate action when possible.

Red Light Rules

What if the road was slippery and I couldn't stop for the red light?

Braking distances increase in winter road conditions. This increases chances of running red lights and being involved in a crash associated with following too closely. When roads are wet, snowy, or icy, the distance required to come to a full stop increases even more. Drivers need to take this into consideration during winter months. We see an increase of red light running tickets when weather conditions affect road conditions, which is an indication that drivers need to slow down and leave extra distance between other vehicles and intersections to account for increased braking time.

In a winter city like Edmonton, road conditions can change quickly. The City’s priority is to ensure Edmontonians are able to move safely through the city in every season, no matter if they drive, walk, ride or use a mobility aid. City of Edmonton snow and ice crews work to help ensure safe travels for all. For more information, visit edmonton.ca/SafeTravels.

How are intersections chosen for intersection safety devices?

Intersections are chosen using the criteria defined in the Province of Alberta’s Automated Traffic Enforcement Technology Guideline that guide their use. Edmonton Police Service reviews and approves the ISD locations.

How do you know I was speeding when there is a vehicle travelling beside my vehicle in the photo?

Intersection Safety Device enforcement is lane specific. Speed-on-green and red-light cameras can monitor multiple lanes with the use of detectors embedded into the road surface or lane specific radar technology.

What happens after an Intersection Safety Device takes a photo?

The picture is reviewed several times by specially trained reviewers who make sure the vehicle actually committed a violation. Once a violation has been verified, a violation ticket is issued and mailed to the vehicle’s registered owner.

How do I know that the camera system is accurate and reliable?

Intersection Safety Devices undergo a comprehensive evaluation and testing procedure to ensure accuracy and reliability as required by the manufacturer and Province of Alberta Guideline.

What do I do if I think the ticket was issued to me in error?

Once a violation ticket has been issued, the Provincial Government is responsible for management of the process. For information about how to contest a ticket, visit traffictickets.alberta.ca.

Mobile Speed Enforcement

Mobile speed enforcement takes place on segments of the road between intersections and is usually performed by a vehicle parked beside the road. The vehicle-mounted equipment has a narrow radar beam that targets specific lanes of traffic and automatically takes images of speeding vehicles and records the location, date, time, posted speed and violation speed.

Does the City have evidence that mobile speed enforcement reduces crashes and injuries?

The City works with academic partners to ensure programs are evidence-based and support progress toward reaching Vision Zero by 2032.

In 2014, Dr. Karim El-Basyouny, the University of Alberta’s Urban Traffic Safety Research Chair, and his team conducted a study of the impact mobile speed enforcement on the frequency and severity of different types of motor vehicle crashes on Edmonton roadways. The study showed that there were significant reductions in all crash severities and types as described below:

Severe crashes (fatal and injury): reduction of 32.1%
Property damage only crashes: reduction of 28.7%
Total crashes: reduction of 27.7%
Speed related property damage only crashes: reduction of 27.3%
Total speed-related crashes: reduction of 26.7%

How are mobile speed enforcement sites selected?

All sites are selected in accordance with the Guideline, in relation to high collision corridors, playground zones, construction zones, or a history of speeding. All automated enforcement locations are assessed, using the location selection criteria provided by the Province, including requiring the rationale and data to be documented on a new standardized location selection form.

Mobile speed enforcement locations are updated every Thursday for the locations planned for the following calendar week. The locations may vary as determined by weather, road conditions, roadway closures or construction, equipment issues or other unforeseen circumstances.

To make sure the program achieves its safety goals and ensure that it is not used for revenue generation, automated enforcement is strictly prohibited in the following areas:

Speed transition zones
Residential roads with speed limit of less than 50km/h apart from playground zones

Alberta’s new Automated Traffic Enforcement Technology Guideline was released on December 1, 2021, and the City is pleased to see that it firmly establishes automated enforcement as a critical tool for street safety.

How are mobile speed enforcement sites scheduled?

Mobile photo enforcement sites are scheduled on a bi-weekly basis from the list of pre-approved sites. Site scheduling is done using a tool that identifies the optimal distribution of automated enforcement resources based on the following factors:

The number of automated enforcement resources available every week
The number and severity of collisions at each site
The number and severity of vulnerable road user collisions at each site
The number of speed complaints received at each site
Number of schools in the area
Historic speed compliance rates at each site, and
Historic violation rates at each site

How many automated enforcement tickets are issued?

The number of tickets issued each month can be found on the Safe Streets Map.

Why is mobile speed enforcement used on high-speed roads with no pedestrians like Whitemud Drive and Anthony Henday?

Anthony Henday Drive and Whitemud Drive are high-speed roadways that have had many fatal and serious injury crashes over the years.

Based on an analysis of reported crashes in Edmonton between 2017 - 2021, 26% of fatalities (excluding pedestrians and cyclists) happen on Edmonton roads with posted speeds of 80 km/h or above.

Who operates mobile enforcement vehicles?

Mobile speed enforcement units are operated by provincial peace officers, who are trained and certified as qualified operators.

Are tickets reviewed before they are issued?

Yes, each potential violation is reviewed by the operator and ticket review staff for accuracy and other related variables to ensure the speed and vehicle are recorded accurately.

Has mobile speed enforcement been challenged in court?

Mobile speed enforcement has been challenged on technical and constitutional grounds up to the Court of Appeal in the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. However, mobile speed enforcement has withstood all appeals and petitions. As a result, mobile speed enforcement equipment has been firmly established as accurate in identifying and documenting violations.

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