Victoria, British Columbia – B.C. has added 35 new red-light cameras in the third phase of its upgraded and expanded Intersection Safety Camera program.
The program is intended to save lives and reduce the almost 250 crashes that occur daily at intersections throughout the province. The cameras detect and photograph vehicles that run red lights and are expected to reduce casualty crashes at sites where they are installed by about 6 per cent annually.
The program, a joint project of the provincial government, ICBC and the police, is intended to upgrade and expand intersection safety cameras from 120 sites, with 30 film cameras rotating among them, to 140 sites with a dedicated digital camera at each location. The sites were selected on the basis of where cameras would be the most effective in reducing serious crashes and fatalities.
The cameras will be operated strategically when historical and current data show the risk is greatest, maximizing the benefits and cost-effectiveness of the expanded program.
The first two sets of 35 upgraded cameras went live earlier this year, and 105 of the 140 sites identified for safety cameras are now active. Full program implementation is expected by the end of 2011. The program was introduced in B.C. in 1999. Ticket revenue from the camera is distributed among all municipalities in B.C. to enhance policing and community-based public safety programs.
