Alberta is restricting photo radar to high-risk areas and introducing a $13-million Traffic Safety Fund. Effective April 1, photo radar will be prohibited on numbered provincial highways and connectors, limited to school zones, playgrounds, and construction areas.
Intersection Safety Devices (ISDs) will be restricted to red-light enforcement only, eliminating the "speed-on-green" function that previously generated millions in revenue.
The changes follow the government's decision to pause the introduction of new photo radar equipment and locations on Dec. 1, 2019, citing concerns that photo radar was being used as a revenue tool rather than a safety measure.
According to the Dec. 2, 2024, government release, Alberta had 70 per cent more photo radar sites than any other province, with 24 municipalities operating photo radar programs.
Alberta removed photo radar from Calgary and Edmonton's ring roads on Dec. 1, 2023, as part of a phased effort to eliminate high-revenue locations.
New Traffic Safety Fund to Support Municipal Projects
The province's $13-million Traffic Safety Fund is meant to help municipalities make physical improvements to high-risk intersections. The fund will be distributed over three years:
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$1 million in 2025-26
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$2 million in 2026-27
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$10 million in 2027-28
Application details will be announced once the process is finalized.
Minister's Comments on Policy Shift
"This is great news for Alberta drivers. These changes will once and for all kill the photo radar cash cow in Alberta," said Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors, in a Dec. 2, 2024 statement. "Albertans can be confident that photo radar will only be used to improve traffic and roadside worker safety and not to make money."
Dreeshen reiterated this sentiment when announcing the changes on March 27, 2025, saying:
"We have officially killed the photo radar cash cow and the revenue-generating 'fishing holes' that made Alberta the biggest user of photo radar in Canada."
Dreeshen said the updated guidelines would eliminate what he referred to as "fishing holes" used for revenue generation.
Limited Exemptions for High-Collision Sites
Municipalities seeking to maintain photo radar in high-collision locations must submit a business case showing:
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High collision frequency and severity compared to similar locations.
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Ineffectiveness or infeasibility of alternative safety measures.
Approved sites will be subject to audits every two years to assess the effectiveness of photo radar in reducing collisions.
ATE Guidelines Set Stricter Standards for Enforcement
The updated guidelines, released by the Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services on March 27, 2025, set strict operational standards for Automated Traffic Enforcement (ATE) across the province.
Under the 2025 ATE Technology Guideline:
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Photo radar is strictly limited to school zones, playground zones, and construction zones.
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ISDs may only be used for red-light infractions and cannot issue tickets for speed-on-green violations.
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Photo radar is no longer permitted on provincial highways or connector routes, except in designated zones.
New Data Collection and Reporting Obligations
Under the updated guidelines, municipalities operating photo radar must meet strict data collection and reporting requirements. These include:
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Monthly data collection for each ATE site.
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Quarterly data submissions to the Director of Law Enforcement Standards and Audits.
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Annual public reports summarizing ATE performance, collision data, and safety outcomes.
To enhance transparency and public trust, municipalities are also required to:
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Post monthly updates on ATE site locations and enforcement data.
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Display clear signage at all ATE locations and municipal entry points.
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Implement a four-week public familiarization period with warning notices before photo radar enforcement begins at any new location.
Compliance and Deadlines
The new guidelines take effect April 1, 2025, in conjunction with the announced policy changes. Additional public awareness requirements, such as wrapping ISD devices, will come into force on May 16, 2025.
Support from Municipal Leaders
Municipal leaders across Alberta expressed support for the new guidelines.
"This shift ensures that photo radar is used where it matters most – near schools, playgrounds and construction zones. Traffic enforcement should be about protecting people, not generating revenue," said Tim Cartmell, councillor for Edmonton's Pihêsiwin ward in December.
Dan McLean, councillor for Calgary's Ward 13, echoed the sentiment as well. "Shifting photo radar to playgrounds and construction zones enhances safety where it matters most – protecting our children and workers on Calgary's roads."
Kara Westerlund, president of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta, welcomed the new Traffic Safety Fund. "The fund is a welcome addition to the overall funding available to municipalities. The Rural Municipalities of Alberta support a dynamic approach to managing traffic safety."
Pushback from Law Enforcement in 2024
Neufeld Challenges Revenue-Only Narrative
Calgary Police Chief Mark Neufeld, who also serves as president of the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police (AACP), expressed frustration that Alberta's police services were not adequately consulted during the review process. In a press conference in December, he said law enforcement feedback did not align with the government's decisions.
"To be clear, the feedback we gave the government was not consistent with these decisions. At best, we believe that the input of the Alberta police community was ignored, and at worst, we're concerned that it's been mischaracterized."
Neufeld pointed to data from Calgary's Beddington Trail and Country Hills Boulevard intersection, one of the sites the government labeled as a "revenue generator." He noted that while the site issued 19,337 tickets in one year, the volume of traffic through the intersection — over nine million vehicles annually — meant that only 0.1 per cent of drivers were ticketed.
"That's 1.6 tickets an hour. One-tenth of one per cent of drivers who went through that intersection received a ticket," Neufeld said. "When you focus on just the revenue side, you miss the fact that these are major intersections in a major city that would require full-time enforcement to achieve the same results that automation is providing."
Neufeld emphasized that no fatal collisions had occurred at that location since the installation of traffic safety devices in 2004, citing a 75 per cent drop in fatal collisions over a 10-year period.
Law Enforcement Feedback Ignored
Neufeld reiterated that Alberta's police services were not adequately consulted during the review process and expressed frustration that their concerns were overlooked.
"To be clear, the feedback we gave the government was not consistent with these decisions. At best, we believe that the input of the Alberta police community was ignored, and at worst, we're concerned that it's been mischaracterized."
Neufeld cited a letter sent by the province at 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 29, 2024, acknowledging the decisions — after Dreeshen had already spoken to the media.
Neufeld's Response to Government Language
Neufeld also criticized the language used by Minister Dreeshen in discussing photo radar, arguing that it trivialized the issue.
"We are very concerned at what we perceive to be glib and perhaps inappropriate communication by the Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors that serves to trivialize and effectively diminish the seriousness of what's a very important public safety issue in Alberta. He's repeatedly referred to automated traffic enforcement as a cash cow and to some of the locations where they're set as fishing holes."
Concerns About Resource Shifts and Capacity
Neufeld warned that eliminating automated traffic enforcement could shift the burden to already stretched police resources.
"That's exactly what we need to consider now. So, we're taking officers away from responding to dispatch calls for service, doing proactive prime crime prevention work with the community, and we're going to have to find a way to get them doing this type of work that was being effectively done with technology."
Despite repeated attempts to meet with the Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors since July 2024, Neufeld said he was unable to secure a meeting to discuss these concerns. "I have tried since the end of July for a meeting and reached out no less than eight times."
Alberta first introduced photo radar in 1987. The province paused new photo radar equipment and locations in 2019 as part of a broader review. On Dec. 1, 2023, all photo radar sites were removed from Calgary and Edmonton's ring roads, a move that laid the groundwork for the new restrictions taking effect in 2025.
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