You might not get a photo radar ticket in the mail, but you're still paying

Removing photo radar has left Edmonton with a gaping hole in the budget.

And if you're thinking, “Great, put that cash cow out to pasture.” Well, not so fast.

Pun very much intended.

You might not be getting a ticket in the mail anymore, but you're still paying.

What a crash costs

Canada actually tracks the societal costs of collisions. Every crash can mean property damage, injuries, police and fire response, traffic delays, and a whole host of other costs.

Transport Canada's breakdown of the social costs of collisions, 2019.

In 2019, that added up to $39 billion. It's about $1,400 per licensed driver.

So, when someone rips around the Henday like the final lap of Rainbow Road trying to dodge a blue shell, they're taking a risk and you're underwriting it.

Repeat customers

I went ahead and pulled some data on Edmonton's photo radar program. Between 2013 and 2017, 30% of tickets went to drivers getting three or more per year.

From my 2018 breakdown of Edmonton's photo radar tickets.

That's repeat customers, people who consistently choose to make our roads less safe despite fines.

Here's the old system. Photo radar provably lowered speeds, and the minority that refused compliance, they were ticketed, and then those tickets helped fund police and traffic safety initiatives that reduced the impact of speeding drivers. The people creating the risk bore some of the costs associated with the consequences for their actions.

Here's the new system. None of that.

They speed and you pay.

Speed scales the bill

And speed is really important. We know that as speed increases on our city streets, so does the risk of serious injury and death. A small increase in speed can mean a huge increase in harm.

The costs scale the same way. A major injury costs society 27 times more than a minor one. A fatality is over 200 times as expensive.

Transport Canada's value of statistical life per casualty type.

So, after all of the UCP's changes, the roads are more dangerous, insurance is skyrocketing, and we're paying through the nose for it.

But hey, we sure slaughtered that cash cow.