Letter to the Editor
Devon Dispatch published my letter to the editor today :

I would like to thank David Schaefer, the director of Devon's Community and Protective Services, for taking the time to talk with me regarding their photo radar program. I read that the program was due to start up again this spring and with the issues reported before, I decided to investigate further.

I made a request last week to the Town of Devon's office to obtain a copy of their Traffic Safety Plan through the Freedom of Information Act. The Alberta Solicitor General, the provider of photo radar guidelines for municipalities, requires the plan to “ensure that traffic safety is the primary reason for enforcement.” Mr. Schaefer promptly provided a copy and we spoke at length about our views and opinions of the program's raison d'etre and effectiveness. A copy of the plan, links to the Solicitor General's site and a review of my discussion with Mr. Schaefer are available at my weblog on the subject : http://devonphotoradar.blogspot.com

My major concern was not the playground areas or other residential lanes in town, but the perceived cash cow that the highway traffic had become. Mr. Schaefer and I discussed options to raise public awareness (besides photo radar) of the occurrences of collisions for the stretch of highway through Devon - considered to be the “worst in the province.” He was very receptive to my views and ideas about some traffic calming techniques that could be implemented – including left turn merge lanes and a traffic light in the center intersection. I was also assured that the photo radar revenue was not going into the town's operating budget.

We also discussed the lack of responsible guidelines from the Solicitor General for the speeding limit tolerance. While their guidelines call for zero tolerance above the posted limit, it really should be a percentage, which is what obviously what a normal operator would allow. For example, there is a general conception that RCMP highway patrols will allow you at least 10km/h above the posted highway limit. I cannot speak of what guidelines for tolerance Devon's program has implemented, but I believe the onus is on the general public to provide feedback to our MLAs regarding the Solicitor General's guidelines.

In all, my review of Devon's Traffic Safety Plan and the discussion with Mr. Schaefer removed most of my prejudices. The declining incidents of speeding shows that the public is very aware of the enforcement and with the drastic reduction of collisions in the area, the program could be called successful.

However, I still worry about the tourist traffic this year and their impressions of Devon after receiving a ticket two weeks after they return from their trip. One final concern is that other municipalities, specifically along Highway 2, may utilize the success of Devon's program to initiate their own program. But with the lack of regular commuter traffic on the major route between Alberta's largest cities, the rate of speeders may not decline as shown in Devon's program – resulting in a real cash cow if we or the Solicitor General are not diligent enough to stop it.

- posted by Steve @ 8:28 PM