By MorinvilleNews.com Staff
Morinville – More than 8,000 licence plates posed for the camera over the past year in Morinville. That’s the word from Integrated Traffic Services who delivered their report on the Town’s Automated Traffic Safety Program to Morinville Town Council last week.
In the 12 month period from July 2009 until June 2010, 8,662 tickets were issued through the program, speeding violations that tallied $1,088,534. Ultimately, that figure will be lower due to squashed, withdrawn or uncollected tickets.
The majority of speeding tickets issued over the past year were issued to non Morinville residents. Of the 8,662 tickets issued, 56 per cent were to non residents. But regardless of where the speeder was coming from or going to, the average over-limit speed was 20.3 kilometres per hour, the average fine $125.57. The highest a vehicle was clocked was 158 km/h along 100 Avenue.
But while the Town’s portion of the fines have added considerable revenue to the Town’s community centre project, motorists appear to be getting the message to either slow down or take a hit in the pocketbook.
Bruce Kaminski of Integrated Traffic Services said in his report that his operators are noticing a marked decrease in the number of speeding violations in the community, the highest reduction being a 57 per cent decrease on 100 Street. Additionally, current figures show that speeding on 100 Avenue is also on the decline with only 8.9 per cent of motorists exceeding the 50 kilometre per hour speed limit.
Although the program has been issuing tickets for the past year, the program actually began in January of 2009. Over the 18 month period of its operation, 1,455,603 vehicles have been monitored on 100 Avenue and an additional 777,079 on 100 Street. The program has a total of 20 locations in Morinville that were selected and approved in conjunction with Morinville’s Traffic Safety Committee and the RCMP.
Of those locations, 100 Street at or near Cardiff Road was the location with the most lead-footed drivers. A total of 2,326 tickets were issued at that location with the fastest vehicle clocked at 50 kilometres per hour over the posted limit. Other hotspots included 100 Street at or near 87 Avenue with 1,784 tickets issued and Eastbound Cardiff Road at or near 97 Street with 1,734 tickets issued.
Kaminski’s report indicates that most public feedback to the program has been positive, although the program has encountered some belligerent callers and a few confrontational passersby. Additionally, there have been those who have chosen vandalism as a means to show their displeasure with the program. A radar speed sign was stolen from a school zone but later recovered, and someone has put hundreds of nails at some of the locations the operators frequent.
Many of those tickets were for violations of unreasonably low speed limits that make no sense… Like 100th Street near Cardiff Road where the largest number of tickets were issued. If the speed limits are reasonable in the first place, speeders should be tagged. But otherwise, it is only a money-grab.
I agree with Hank. The two main areas of “concern” are the two main exits to Morinville (south and east). I myself received two tickets within two weeks of each other as I was LEAVING town to go to work in Edmonton, approx 30 meters from the Mornnville boundary road where 100 Ave turns into 642. Not an area of concern for safety but pretty handy for picking up some extra bucks for the town! This photo radar contractor should be forced to concentrate on areas with safety concerns like schools and playgrounds and be told to keep away from areas where drivers are obviously going to accelerate (legally I might add)! The intent of photo radar is to make areas safe, not line this yahoos pockets with our cash. I have decided that from now on I will be shopping in St Albert or Edmonton, at least I can SEE the photo radar cars there, they aren’t hidden like they are in Morninville.
I personally do not appreciate recieving a photo radar ticket, 70 meters from the posted 80 km/hr sign while accelerating at 68 km’s at time of photo. Since theres only 1 intersection where people can come from just before the sign. There is no school, no playground, no crosswalks, it is simply a cash grab spot. I do not appreciate the lack of profesional decision making when it comes to the safety of the people of morinville.