A call for the provincial government for more intersection safety cameras will be one of the hot topics at the upcoming Union of BC Municipalities convention in Vancouver.
The City of Delta and several other communities have put forward similar motions for speed and red light cameras, including at all intersections across B.C. with a higher rate of crashes recorded.
Delta council earlier this summer endorsed a recommendation by the city’s Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) to put forward the motion for more intersection cameras to curb speed and red light infractions.
The motion calls on the provincial government to install the speed and red light cameras at intersections “upon a reasonable request from local municipalities.”
The City of Victoria sent letters to other municipalities requesting they also write letters to the government to install red light and speed cameras at locations where there were more than 20 casualty collisions from 2018 to 2022, or to allow B.C. municipalities to install cameras at their own cost and collect the fines.
The letter notes that the province has stated most crashes happen at intersections and the cameras are proven to be effective at reducing side-impact, head-on and pedestrian crashes. They are located where red light running and high-speed cause serious crashes.
A report to Delta council notes that TAC members discussed the correspondence and noted the financial and logistical challenges for municipalities to install their own intersection safety cameras.
Among other communities having similar resolutions, the City of New Westminster is calling on the province to expand the implementation of speed and red light intersection safety cameras, prioritizing intersections near schools and those with a high rate of crashes that result in injuries or fatalities as identified by ICBC.
That motion also calls for the provincial government provide all revenue from additional cameras to local governments as grants to be invested in implementing local and safety improvements.
New Westminster and North Vancouver’s motions ask that the province allow local governments to install cameras at their own expense, while Lake Country’s motion asks for the necessary funding and resources to facilitate the installation, maintenance and operation of intersection cameras.
The District of Saanich’s motion calls on the province to develop a more transparent process for municipalities to be involved in the identification and installation of new cameras.
Back in 2018, the province announced that red light intersection cameras would be operating 24/7 at 140 intersections in B.C. that had some of the highest crash rates. Cameras had previously only been activated for six hours a day during high traffic periods.
Of those cameras, just a few dozen are also equipped to identify and ticket speeding vehicles.
In North Delta, there’s four intersection cameras: Nordel Way and Scott Road, Scott Road and 80 Avenue, Highway 10 and Scott Road and Nordel Way and 84 Avenue. None were added in Tsawwassen or Ladner, including at such busy intersections as Highway 17 at 56th Street or Highway 17A at Ladner Trunk Road.
According to the province, the only Delta camera that currently is also equipped to capture speeding drivers is the one at Nordel Way at 84 Avenue.
The UBCM convention takes place Sept. 16 to 20.
