Curious about photo radar? There’s an app for that
A new app designed to remind drivers about the presence of photo radar sites has expanded into Lethbridge.
The free app, known simply as “Photo Radar App,” was developed by Benjamin Lavin, a University of Alberta fourth-year Computer Science student as a personal challenge to test his abilities as an app developer.
“A friend of mine mentioned that Edmonton was releasing their photo radar information online,” said Lavin. “The personal challenge was to see for myself if I could take that and put it into a more usable form for people.”
The app uses the online data communities post regarding the locations of their photo radar and red-light cameras. That information is added to a map which is accessible through the app. A driver with the app running on their phone is notified with an audible signal when they approach one of the advertized sites.
Lavin said there are two main goals for his app. One is to get people to pay attention to their speed, and to slow down if they are speeding. Another is to help people avoid getting unnecessary tickets.
“The fact of the matter is all the information is being provided by either the communities or their police departments,” he said. “It’s not that this is going behind the system and trying to pull one over on people.
“The app is just taking that information and putting it in a more convenient form.”
Lethbridge Police Service is aware of the app and are supportive of its goals.
“From what we can see, this looks like a great use of technology to help make our roads safer,” said Kristen Harding, LPS Strategic Communication Manager, in an emailed statement.
LPS deploys photo radar in accordance with provincial standards with a focus on high-risk areas — school zones, playground zones, construction zones, highspeed roadways, and in residential areas in response to public concerns.
Photo radar enforcement areas are supplied to the public as a means to promote transparency and to further promote the message that the overall goal of this type of enforcement is to get drivers to slow down.
Enforcement sites are listed on social media and on the LPS website, but with an app also providing the data to drivers, the hope is that more people will be reached.
“Having drivers slow down based on the app emitting an audible alarm as they approach a photo radar location is really a force multiplier for police,” stated Harding.
“Just as police officers can’t be everywhere, neither can photo radar.
“Ultimately, the goal of photo radar is traffic safety through a reduction in speeding violations, so if this app encourages drivers to slow down, our objective is met and our roadways are safer. And that’s a win for everyone on the road.”
Lavin said he never expected the app to take off the way it has, with more than 40,000 downloads and counting. He is hoping to continue growing the coverage area.
“It really kind of grew here in Edmonton, and then I decided to try and expand. So I’m trying to cover most places in the province now,” he said.
Some of the challenges that came from developing the app are ongoing, according to Lavin. He said the format in which the information is released can sometimes be an issue, and that incompatible formats need to be manually entered.
“It could just be a PDF, or an image,” he said. “It can be hard to translate that information into a map format for people. I’m still working on ways to do that.”
“I am hoping to continue expanding,” he said. “A lot of people seem to appreciate it, or are thankful that the app is there.”
“Photo Radar App” is available in the Google Play Store and the Apple Store.
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