Edmonton scraps playground zone photo radar amid low tickets: ‘No longer financially sustainable'
Starting July 1, mobile photo radar will no longer be used in the city's 247 playground zones, the City of Edmonton announced on Wednesday.
It comes after the Alberta government introduced new, stricter rules on where photo radar enforcement can be conducted — which has led to a drop in money coming in.
While communities can still use photo radar in school and playground zones, the city said the overall scaling back means it has to be much more mindful about where resources are deployed.
'Playground zones have become some of the most safest spots on our streets. They have high speed compliance and they have low crash volumes and severities,' said Jessica Lamarre, the director of safe mobility with the City of Edmonton.
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'But behind that success is a financial reality that can't be ignored. Until now, enforcement in playground zones has been highly subsidized by revenue generated from photo radar on Edmonton's other high-speed, high-volume roadways.'
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The new Alberta government regulations took effect April 1, prohibiting photo radar on numbered provincial highways like Anthony Henday Drive and limiting its use to school, playground and construction zones.
As well, the 'speed-on-green' function for intersection cameras is now restricted to red light enforcement only — and only allowed in areas with a higher frequency rate for collisions, injury and fatal collisions, relative to similar areas or intersections over a three-year period.
The new rules reduce the overall number of sites where photo radar could be used by about 70 per cent — from about 2,400 sites to around 650 across the province.
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In Edmonton, there used to be enforcement at 504 locations but the city removed 171 sites, leaving 333 spots where speed enforcement can be conducted. Intersection cameras also are now wrapped in highly visible yellow and blue tape.
Earlier this year, the city estimated the province's rule changes would result in an annual revenue drop of approximately $12 million.
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Without the broader revenue stream from tickets issued on high-speed roads, the city said continuing enforcement in areas with low rates of speeding such as playground zones is no longer financially sustainable.
'In most of them, we're looking at only one violation per hour, so that application of resources is not really getting us the best bang for our buck, given how safety's improved so much in these spaces with our investments over years,' Lamarre said.
'By pivoting to more of the physical traffic-calming features, we know that there will be that consistent 24/7 speed control put in place.'
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Click to share quote on Twitter: "By pivoting to more of the physical traffic-calming features, we know that there will be that consistent 24/7 speed control put in place."
Lamarre stressed this doesn't mean the city is retreating from automated enforcement.
'It's an intentional evolution based on what we're seeing in the data and what we are hearing from Edmontonians,' she said.
1:58
Calgary police issue nearly 26,000 fewer speeding tickets since photo radar ban announced
Speeding isn't the only issue in playground and school zones, according to Lamarre.
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'People are worried about unsafe crossings, aggressive driving, illegal parking and U-turns and chaotic drop-offs and pick-ups that can sometimes put kids at risk,' she said.
'The photo radar reduces speeds, but it can't fix those other kinds of behaviours, and that's why we're investing in infrastructure that can.'
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The city said it is now redirecting resources into physical upgrades and traffic-calming changes that address safety concerns regularly raised by students, families and educators.
The city is launching two projects to trial new solutions at school areas that are experiencing bad driving behaviour.
One will test reducing speed limits on arterial roads during school hours, using flashing beacons and bold pavement markings to signal to drivers that they're entering a school area.
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The city said the other will physically block illegal parking and stopping in areas that compromises visibility and safety at crosswalks.
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Traffic calming near a playground zone at Michael Strembitsky School in south Edmonton on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. Global News
Traffic-calming measures such as speed humps, curb extensions and additional safe-crossing installations with traffic control will be used in more playground zones, Lamarre said.
'The results of trialling these creative approaches will help inform expansion to other parts of the city, and it's going to help us respond to the real-life challenges that people are facing in playground zones,' she said.
'Playground zones are working. They are among the safest areas in our city, and we're doubling down to make them even better. This change isn't about doing less, it's about doing more of (what) works in new and exciting ways.'
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A road in Edmonton's Ottewell neighbourhood. Speed bumps and other traffic calming measures were installed in four Edmonton neighbourhoods, in an attempt to reduce traffic and speeding on residential roads. September 29, 2015. Lisa Wolansky, Global News
The trials will take place near two schools: Highlands School on 118 Avenue in north-central Edmonton, and a second location that has yet to be announced.
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Lamarre said a lot of Highlands students walk or bike to school, which is along an arterial road that doesn't qualify for the permanent 30 km/h school speed reduction under the Traffic Safety Act.
'We are trying a new approach where when flashing lights are present on the speed limit sign going through that area, it'll be reduced during that time to 30 km/h. We're going to give that a shot for the high-volume movement times, pick-up, drop-off, lunchtime, to see how that works,' Lamarre said.
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A playground zone at Michael Strembitsky School in south Edmonton on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. Global News
Designated times for reduced speeds is something seen around schools in rural Alberta and communities outside Edmonton, she added, so it isn't an entirely new concept.
There is no price tag attached to the initiative, the city said. Lamarre said existing funding in the city's four-year budget will be redirected from mobile and automated enforcement to the trials.
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