Photo radar proves controversial among Brandon residents

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/06/2022 (1351 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In Tuesday’s editorial, I questioned whether the City of Brandon should go to the expense of installing photo radar in some of the more problematic street corners in our community, or instead should find more efficient and less expensive means at our disposal to improve road safety.

Response to that question on social media was extensive, with hundreds of comments on Facebook and several thousand people taking the time to read. In fact, there were still comments being made four days after publication, and I assume there will be more after this editorial is published, too.

Suffice to say that Brandonites have no shortage of opinions when it comes to road safety and the condition of the streets we drive upon.

There was also no consensus on whether photo radar was a necessary piece of tech for our community, as several people suggested it was a waste of money that could be better spent on fixing the numerous potholes instead. Others drew from their own experiences of watching motorists in our city routinely break the rules of the road, and said speeding was indeed a problem that required better monitoring.

More broadly, most of the respondents seem to think Brandon motorists have pretty poor driving habits, and I can back up that claim in that there have been far too many minor and major collisions and accidents in this city over the years that could have been avoided with better care and attention.

I would also temper those voluminous critiques with the observation that in all my travels over the years, I have never driven in a city where speeding, lack of turn signals, and blowing through stop signs wasn’t an issue.

At any rate, I thought it fitting to hand over part of Saturday’s editorial page to this week’s commentators, who had much to say on the issue. Clearly, Brandon City Council will be wading into controversial waters if and when the issue of photo radar ever comes to a vote.

» Matt Goerzen, editor

● “Yes, Brandon drivers do not understand what ‘crosswalk’ or ‘turn signal’ or ‘come to a complete stop’ or ‘stop line’ mean. And those crying about the roads should rejoice! This is part of the benefit to you of all of the tax cuts you’ve yelled for.”

● “Small town charm can stay, but the real investment needs to be in creating equity where people can work instead of rely on drugs, and crime. We don’t need more policing to collect on traffic fines. We need a downtown that’s vibrant, full of culture, arts, education, entertainment, enterprise where all people have access to meaningful work and income.”

● “Unfortunately one camera won’t fix how bad most drivers are here. A stronger police presence maybe, but there will still always be bad drivers that don’t pay attention to what’s around them.”

● “Photo radar does nothing to correct driving habits, it does create a revenue stream, for the city to become dependent on though.. no demerits, fine sent to registered owner. Company providing camera services takes half the revenue.”

● “Nope. They need properly timed lights so people aren’t piling through a two-car light that should be five-car light in timing. Turning arrows and crosswalk lights need more time. It’s not horse and buggies in the city anymore.”

● “The roads are too sh—ty to speed. Spend the money on fixing the roads.”

● “I cannot help but notice that I drive more carefully in cities that have photo radar. Hopefully others will be as thoughtful. Those cities also have properly timed lights. Maybe we can do all the improvements at once for a change.”

● “Yes, for people who don’t slow down in school zones!!”

● “Photo radar in a town where by the time you get up to legal speed, you’re half way across the city already.”

● “I made the mistake of exceeding the speed limit in a school zone in Winnipeg once. School was out but it wasn’t July yet! Photo radar ticket was $400. I’m careful not to make that mistake again! Photo radar slows me down!”

● “The past two weeks I have witnessed, two separate occasions. People going through red lights. Would be a good thing I think.”

● “Honestly the only reason why I would be opposed to this is cost/money. However, there are some really terrible drivers in Brandon, like, absolutely terrible. I follow the rules of the road fine but I’m still scared I’ll get in an accident because every day I see people run lights, stop signs, and refuse to use signal lights and lane change properly. More road enforcement is needed.”