Should the City of Delta be able to install more red light cameras throughout the community at its own cost?
A recent letter to council from City of Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto, copied a request to the provincial government to install speed and red light cameras at all locations in Victoria where there were over 20 casualty crashes during 2018 to 2022, or allow B.C. municipalities to install speed and red light cameras at their own cost and the collect fines.
The letter sent to other municipalities asks that they also submit the request to the province for their own communities.
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.
The letter was acknowledged by Delta staff, but not brought up for discussion by council.
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, currently less than 40 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 such busy intersections as Highway 17 at 56 Street or Highway 17A at Ladner Trunk Road.
The engineering department, when they were installed, noted camera locations were selected by ICBC based on frequency of angle-type crashes.
Delta had no input in the selection process.
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 province notes it transfers ticket fine revenue to municipalities to support policing and public safety programs. Violation tickets are issued to a vehicle’s registered owner.
A survey released last fall by Research Co. and Glacier Media found a high level of support among British Columbians surveyed (72 per cent) for red light cameras that also capture vehicles speeding.
