The message to lead-foots is: “slow down.”
That’s the goal of a safe driving initiative launched by the provincial government this week to tweak 35 of the province's 140 red-light cameras to also catch speeders.
"We have a record number of crashes happening — more than 900 a day in our province — and about 60% of the crashes on our roads are at intersections," stated Mike Farnworth, minister of public safety and solicitor general and Port Coquitlam MLA in a press release. "We've taken time to systematically pinpoint the locations linked to crashes and dangerous speeds that are best suited to safely catching, ticketing and changing the behaviours of those who cause carnage on B.C. roads."
Beginning this summer, B.C. will install new warning signs and activate technology to ticket the registered owners of vehicles entering these intersections well over the posted limit on a red, yellow or even green light.
Two of the special red-light cameras are in the Tri-Cities at intersections considered dangerous because of speeders.
Drivers who speed above the posted limits could have their license plate photographed and a ticket sent to them by mail.
The two locations are Barnet Highway at Mariner Way in Coquitlam and Lougheed Highway at Shaughnessy Street in Port Coquitlam.
Cash data revealed that speeding is a major cause of accidents causing injury. Between 2012 and 2016, ISC sites in B.C. reported an average of 10,500 vehicles a year going at least 30 kilometres per hour over the posted speed limit, as detected by red-light cameras, which also monitor vehicle speeds. Speed has been one of the top contributing factors in casualty crashes at these intersections, which have had a combined total of more than 11,500 collisions per year.
The concern comes as residents of homes off Chilko Drive in Coquitlam call for traffic calming and barriers to prevent speeding cars from leaving the road and crashing into their homes and property.
Neither the government nor police will disclose the speed threshold that will trigger the new cameras.
Fines for speeding tickets range from $134 to $368 and up to $483 for speeding in a school, playground or construction zone.
Automatic Ticketing Locations
- Route 11 at Lonzo Road
- Boundary Road & Kingsway
- Royal Oak Avenue & Kingsway
- Deer Lake Parkway & Willingdon Avenue
- British Columbia 7A & Mariner Way
- Cooper Road & Harvey Avenue
- Banks Road & Highway 97 North
- 64 Avenue & 200 Street
- British Columbia 10 & Fraser Highway
- British Columbia 7 & 207 Street
- British Columbia 19 & Aulds Road
- Marine Drive & Capilano Road
- British Columbia 7 & Old Dewdney Trunk Road
- Shaughnessy Street & Lougheed Highway
- Cambie Road & Garden City Road
- 88 Avenue & 128 Street
- 96 Avenue & 152 Street
- King George Boulevard & 152 Street
- 152 Street & 64 Avenue
- 96 Avenue & 132 Street
- King George Boulevard & 104 Avenue
- King George Boulevard & 80 Avenue
- East 49th Avenue & Boundary Road
- Main Street & East Hastings Street
- Renfrew Street & East Hastings Street
- Grandview Highway & Rupert Street
- Granville Street & West King Edward Avenue
- Joyce Street & Kingsway
- Kingsway & Victoria Drive
- Knight Street & East 33rd Avenue
- West 57th Avenue & Oak Street
- West 70th Avenue & Oak Street
- Kerr Street & Southeast Marine Drive
- West Georgia Street & Cardero Street
- 84 Avenue & Nordel Way
