"There's a strong public view, I think, that photo radar has gone beyond just enforcing safe traffic and has become, in some cases, a bit of a cash cow for municipalities," Mason said Thursday. "That is a misuse, if that is occurring.
"We need to know to the degree to which that is occurring, and we need to make sure that we correct that."
Municipalities with 5,000 residents or more can run photo radar through their local police or RCMP.
Most of the money from a photo radar ticket -- 73 per cent -- goes to the municipality. The other 27 per cent goes to the province. Every ticket has a 15 per cent surcharge for a victims of crime fund.
Under guidelines established in 2014, photo radar should be set up in areas where drivers habitually ignore traffic laws, where there have been a lot of collisions or pedestrian accidents, or where there is a lot of pedestrian traffic.
The guidelines are flexible but the overarching principle is public safety. Mason said his department will review where municipalities are running photo radar and how much money they are receiving.
Mason's department could not provide figures or municipal breakdowns on how much money photo radar is collecting. Mason said that will be part of the review, which he wants completed by the fall.
The Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties have previously raised questions about photo radar. In fact, Mason's news conference was arranged on short notice Thursday just before a scheduled Wildrose news conference urging a photo radar review.
Wildrose justice critic Angela Pitt agreed with Mason's review, and said the public deserves to see some numbers.
Alberta announces photo radar review amid concerns it has become a cash cow | CTV News
"We need to know to the degree to which that is occurring, and we need to make sure that we correct that."
Municipalities with 5,000 residents or more can run photo radar through their local police or RCMP.
Most of the money from a photo radar ticket -- 73 per cent -- goes to the municipality. The other 27 per cent goes to the province. Every ticket has a 15 per cent surcharge for a victims of crime fund.
Under guidelines established in 2014, photo radar should be set up in areas where drivers habitually ignore traffic laws, where there have been a lot of collisions or pedestrian accidents, or where there is a lot of pedestrian traffic.
The guidelines are flexible but the overarching principle is public safety. Mason said his department will review where municipalities are running photo radar and how much money they are receiving.
Mason's department could not provide figures or municipal breakdowns on how much money photo radar is collecting. Mason said that will be part of the review, which he wants completed by the fall.
The Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties have previously raised questions about photo radar. In fact, Mason's news conference was arranged on short notice Thursday just before a scheduled Wildrose news conference urging a photo radar review.
Wildrose justice critic Angela Pitt agreed with Mason's review, and said the public deserves to see some numbers.
Alberta announces photo radar review amid concerns it has become a cash cow | CTV News
