Road safety upgrade was ‘overdue’
All of the province’s red-light cameras are now recording all day, every day
Red-light cameras at 140 intersections across British Columbia are now recording 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Last fall, the province announced it would activate red-light cameras around the clock at 140 high-crash intersections, up from the previous six hours a day.
After upgrading camera function and data capacity, some cameras began recording 24/7 in November 2017, with additional cameras activated throughout the early part of 2018. As of last week, all camera locations have been activated.
“For too long, cameras with a proven record of curbing red-light runners and the serious crashes they cause were not operating at full capacity,” said Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth in a statement.
“Last year, we saw a record 350,000 crashes in B.C., with about 60 per cent of them happening at intersections. The full activation of these cameras is overdue and an important step for safety on some of our busiest roadways.”
Additional staff have also been hired to review incidents captured on camera and to process tickets.
According to B.C. law, a red-light infraction occurs only when a car enters the intersection after the light has turned red.
The vehicle’s registered owner is responsible for the ticket — even if someone else is driving — but the owner does not receive penalty points.
The province is also looking at which intersections should have additional technology installed to catch speeders. That technology will automatically capture and ticket the fastest driver passing through an intersection on a red, yellow or green light.
Statistics show that more than half of B.C. crashes take place at intersections and that on average, more than 11,000 crashes take place at intersections where a redlight camera is installed.
Revenue generated from redlight cameras will be distributed to municipalities across the province to support policing and public safety programs.