Ending Photo Radar: A Cash Cow or a Safety Tool?

Yesterday Minister Devin Dreeshen announced the end to photo radar enforcement on Alberta highways. Nobody likes photo radar but, it’s the reality of keeping drivers accountable. Minister Dreeshen stated the program was a cash cow and there was no proof it actually improved road safety. Postmedia reported, “When someone says photo radar is the be all and end all, when it comes to accidents, the municipalities that actually removed photo radar, the data doesn’t support that,” Dreeshen told reporters at the legislature. His office declined to provide data to support his statement. Mark Neufeld, the head of the Calgary Police Service called him out for that comment because it’s insulting, and it diminishes the value of enforcement in reducing road incidents. Did the photo radar program get abused to increase revenue? Probably, but does that mean you scrap the whole program? Maybe move the cameras from the cash cow areas? One problem does not invalidate the entire program.

Opposition to Speed Limiters

Minister Dreeshen has a history of disdain for speed enforcement, and this was evident in his rejection of speed limiters for commercial vehicles in Alberta. When British Columbia introduced speed limiters for commercial vehicles in April 2024, limiting commercial vehicles to 105 km/hour, Minister Dreeshen stated “Alberta has no intention to further limit the speed of commercial trucks.” This stance, favoring transportation business interests over road safety, is concerning given the preventable collisions caused by speeding trucks. Vehicle manufacturers cannot out-engineer poor driver decisions and that leaves law enforcement the only option to control speeding. Modern safety features like seat belts and airbags are standard and save lives, so why not speed limiters? Commercial vehicles already collect speed data through GPS and electronic logging devices, yet enforcement rarely holds company owners accountable. Why not write some penalties to the owners for allowing the excessive speed? We already know there are untrained drivers with fake driver licenses all over Canada’s roads, at least control how fast they can go.

Lack of Oversight for Commercial Vehicles

The only mechanism to monitor the on road performance of commercial vehicles registered in Alberta is the Carrier Profile system. The Carrier Profile system has been unable to share enforcement data with all the jurisdictions since 2019 and zero effort has been made to mitigate that situation. This means Alberta Transportation Compliance and Oversight is overseeing inaccurate data. The Third Party Auditor (TPA) program is also fundamentally flawed with inaccurate data because TPA auditors do not have encryption keys to review unencrypted records of a driver’s working time. Insurance companies use this flawed carrier profile information to determine risk when issuing commercial vehicle insurance policies. If Alberta really wants to tackle insurance rates, then insurance companies are going to need to start doing their own carrier compliance assessments and not relying on the information from government.

Safety vs. Business

Minister Devin Dreeshen decisions reflect a pattern of favoring economic concerns over road safety. While his actions may appeal to truckers and businesses, they leave Alberta’s roads less secure. Stricter enforcement, targeted photo radar, and mandatory speed limiters could save lives, but achieving this requires a shift in priorities and maybe an apology to Mark Neufeld and everyone in enforcement.

It’s Rodeo season in Alberta! Albertans attend local rodeos to celebrate the important history of the rodeo and more importantly the impact livestock and agriculture have on our community. When listening to the opening remarks of the various elected officials that attend these rodeos remember this, Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors created a special permit for the oil and gas industry. A permit that is not available to the livestock transportation sector despite the urgent need and requests from those drivers and carriers. See my blog The dirty business of lobbying and the impact on road safety for the specific details of that sketchy deal.

The oilfield exemption permit exempts federally regulated drivers operating under the oilfield permit from using a ELD (Electronic Logging Device), exempts the driver from the cycle restrictions and does not require the driver to record a work shift start and end time, only total hours. Federally regulated livestock transportation companies are required to install ELD’s and those drivers have zero exemptions.

The FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration), the United States  transportation regulatory body, has a livestock transportation exemption, 395.1 (k)(4) (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation). The exemption was built into the ELD regulation and no permit is required. The ELD mandate in Canada requires a certified ELD to be programmed with the Canadian and the United States hours of service rules. The basis of the NAFTA agreement was to facilitate cross border trade between Canada, Mexico and the United States. How does allowing an exemption for US drivers but not Canadian drivers operating in the United States make any sense or respects the spirit of NAFTA?

The Alberta government mandate is focused on revenue generation and building the Alberta War Chest. If Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors is not interested in allowing a free exemption for Livestock Transportation providers, then establish a Livestock ELD permit and make some money. The Province of Manitoba issues an ELD exemption permit why can’t Alberta?

The Honourable Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors just announced in a news release July 4, 2024; Alberta is marking more than a year of working with Saskatchewan and Manitoba through the Prairies Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to advance economic corridors and enhance collaboration with Alberta’s prairie neighbours. To date, the three provinces have achieved harmonization of regulations related to commercial carriers that improve both safety and regulatory requirements.

“By keeping the momentum of the Prairies MOU going, we can continue to lead the way in building economic corridors, cutting red tape, and creating jobs. This paves the way to make nation-building projects a reality again in western Canada.” Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors

While the Prairies Memorandum of Understanding was supposed to harmonize regulations, the absence of ELD permits or ELD interpretations for commercial carriers in Alberta raises questions about consistency and accountability. It is crucial for commercial carriers to advocate for a level playing field and demand transparency from Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors.

As Albertans gather to celebrate Rodeo season and the contributions of livestock and agriculture, it's essential to address the unequal treatment of transportation providers in the province. The disparities in ELD exemptions highlight broader issues of fairness, safety, and accountability within the industry. It’s not nice to play favorites.