by MorinvilleNews.com Staff
During the August 27 Morinville Town Council meeting, an update was provided on the future of Automated Traffic Enforcement (ATE) in the town. The Government of Alberta recently announced changes to ATE regulations that will significantly impact current operations in Morinville, where ATE has been in place since 2009 to, as administration says, manage traffic speeds and enhance road safety.
The new rules, effective December 2024, will prohibit ATE operations on provincial highways and connector roads passing through municipalities. Additionally, Intersection Safety Devices (ISDs) will only be allowed to capture red light infractions, and ATE enforcement will be limited to designated school and playground zones. With the addition of two new schools prevented under a provincial moratorium on new sites, the anticipated new rules will reduce Morinville’s ATE sites from 24 to 10, limiting operations to just areas around schools and parks.
These changes are expected to reduce ATE revenue and operations in Morinville and CPO Sergeant Will Norton told Council this would likely lead to increased speeds on the town’s transportation network, similar to other municipalities that have scaled back or eliminated ATE.
Council asked a few questions regarding the upcoming new rules during the presentation.
While Council awaits a formal announcement from the Government of Alberta on the new rules, Norton said the administration would explore the impact on Morinville that the new rules have, and whether it may be time to scrap ATE should it begin to cost the municipality money to operate.
Great idea. As I believe the units here are illegal anyhow
ATE states units must be highly visible and easy to spot! The units here are grey pick up hiding behind parked cars and NOT marked highly visible.
Not to worry, Norton will pick up the slack. He’s dedicated to protect and serve the thriving metropolis of Morinville. Only downside is that he will have to spend less time chasing wayward dogs.