Survey says majority of B.C. drivers would be happy if speed cameras reintroduced
The majority of B.C. residents would be happy to see automatic speed camera's back on the province's roads.
According to a Sept. 16 Research Co. poll, 76 per cent of B.C. drivers approve of the use of fixed speed cameras.
The speed enforcement cameras work by sensing when a vehicle is speeding. It then automatically sends a ticket to the owner of the vehicle. As the driver of the vehicle isn't identified no demerit points are issued.
Back in 1996, the B.C. NDP government of the day introduced photo radar. In 2001, the B.C. Liberal government scrapped the speed cameras after campaigning on a promise to do so.
READ MORE: More than half of B.C. residents say drivers in their city getting worse: poll
Research Co. says the majority of B.C. residents in previous polls each year for the last four years have supported the implementation of speed cameras.
"Women (74 per cent) and British Columbians aged 55 and over (79 per cent) are particularly supportive of speed-on-green intersection cameras," Research Co. president Mario Canseco said in a media release. "The practice is also endorsed by majorities of British Columbians who voted for the B.C. New Democratic Party (NDP) (77 per cent), the BC Liberals (75 per cent) and the B.C. Green Party (69 per cent) in the 2020 provincial election."
Along with speed cameras, 71 per cent of B.C. residents approve of the use of cameras at traffic lights. There are 140 red light cameras already set up in 26 communities across the province, according to ICBC.
The poll also found that two-thirds of British Columbians (66 per cent) were in favour of mobile speed cameras which can be moved from place to place.
Another 61 per cent were in favour of point-to-point speed cameras which work by placing two cameras at different points on the road and then measuring the time it takes to pass in between them.
Speed cameras are still relatively rare in Canada. The City of Toronto only introduced cameras two years ago, and Alberta recently made moves to restrict the way cities and municipalities use their speed cameras.
In Europe and Australia, it's a different story, with the U.K. introducing its first camera, complete with film, in 1991.
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