Red-light cameras are now operating around the clock at 140 intersections in sa国际传媒, including six on Vancouver Island.
The cameras, which snap pictures of cars running red lights, previously operated for just six hours a day. They have been upgraded so that they can run 24聽hours a day.
Provincial officials moved last year to increase the operating time in an effort to reduce crashes and keep a lid on Insurance Corp. of sa国际传媒鈥檚 skyrocketing costs.
Cameras at a number of locations switched to longer hours last November and all were working around the clock by the end of July.
鈥淟ast year, there were more than 350,000 crashes in this province and 60 per cent of them occurred at intersections,鈥� Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said in an interview. 鈥淲e have to bring that down.
鈥淭he cameras have been operating for six hours a day and, clearly, people think most of the time they鈥檙e not on. If they鈥檙e on 24 hours a day, people will most likely think twice before running the red light.鈥�
The provincial government has hired more staff to review incidents and issue tickets. The vehicle鈥檚 owner is responsible for the $167 fine even if someone else was driving.
鈥淚 think the public support is absolutely there,鈥� Farnworth said. 鈥淓very survey I鈥檝e seen shows that people running red lights at intersections is one of the top frustrations of motorists.鈥�
Greater Victoria has two red-light cameras, at Tillicum Road and the Trans-sa国际传媒 Highway, and Shelbourne Street at Hillside Avenue. There are two cameras in Nanaimo (Island Highway at Aulds Road and Norwell Drive), and one each in Duncan (Trans-sa国际传媒 Hwy at Trunk Road) and Courtenay (17th Street at Cliffe Avenue).
The Capital Regional District鈥檚 traffic safety commission welcomed the decision to operate the cameras around the clock.
鈥淢ost of us on the commission were surprised to learn they were only operating six hours a day,鈥� said Saanich Coun. Colin Plant, who chairs the commission. 鈥淚t seems logical that they would be in operation 24聽hours a day, because infractions happen 24 hours a聽day.
鈥淚 think anything that can help make roads less dangerous because people are driving with caution, or perhaps even fear of getting a ticket, is a good thing. If you don鈥檛 run the red light, you won鈥檛 get a ticket.鈥�
Plant and Chris Foord, the commission鈥檚 vice-chairman, both said the only concern they have is that they鈥檇 like to see more than two red-light cameras in the region. 鈥淭o me, it seems appropriate that we have at least six of them in Victoria,鈥� Foord said.
Plant said he鈥檚 looking forward to the cameras soon being used to catch speeders as well as red-light violators. 鈥淭echnology needs to be embraced and where we have problems we need to implement solutions.鈥�
Farnworth announced in March that the government will begin upgrading red-light cameras to identify motorists racing through intersections on red, yellow or green lights.
He said officials are analyzing crash data to determine which intersections will get the new technology. The locations will be announced this fall and signs will be posted at the intersections to alert motorists.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a cheap operation to upgrade,鈥� Farnworth said, adding that only the highest risk intersections will be equipped to catch speeders.
