One in three Calgarians ticketed for speeding last year

[First Lady]

Haven't gotten a ticket of any sort since I traded in the Charger. The last year I had it (2010) I got 3 speeding all with cameras, son got a ticket with it, as did my daughter. I figure with the 5 in 2010 I've prepaid for a couple of years.

[freedogger]

Originally Posted by Kavy

I really don't see the problem - raise the fines and put more photoradar on the roads.

There are rules to driving, if you violate them you deserved to be fined. Free public money from people who are willing to take a risk for an extra tax. Everyone who gets a ticket knows the risk prior to committing the offense.

Personally, I speed as much as anyone, talk on the cell phone while I drive, and eat while I drive. For each of these offenses, if I get caught, I deserve a ticket, its that simple.

Raise the fines, I was doing nearly 20 over on the Yellowhead in Edmonton (just above the speed of traffic), and got caught by photoradar. $125 (or whatever it was) once every 5 years isn't going to slow me down. That is an insane deal, for $125 every 5 years I get to go nearly 20 over the limit. Neither is $150 going to prevent me from talking on a cell phone when I have the mind attitude that I won't get caught.

Speeding kills, talking on the cell phone while driving kills - raise the fines.

So you'll be just fine with 5000 extra tickets from your past few years of driving in the mail when Vic Towes gets a hold of your phone's location records and does a bit of math and figures out your bill?

I'm only half kidding. In the UK they take a photo of every plate every few km. All fed into a central database and then compared with distances between stations and tickets mailed out as appropriate.

It's just another instance of rent seeking people living off people who do real work. And they take the high ground claiming its for public safety.

[Incogneto]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

To my knowledge BC does not allow ticketing by camera

Photo radar, correct. We still have red light cameras.

[Mr.Coffee]

agree it's a driving tax but wouldn't mind seeing the speed limits increased, pretty much all over the city.

The speed limits in this city are so annoyingly low.

Everyone knows you go 10 over and you'll be fine. Can't remember the last time I got a ticket actually... was like 10 years ago or so.

[Russic]

I love "taxes" like these. If you stay within the rules you pay $0, while everybody else is free to contribute.

[Sylvanfan]

Yeah photo radar is for public safety, so find a road in a rural setting with a speed limit of 70 and hide the van behind something. Those people diving 82 are a danger to society making photo radar neccessary. I mean you couldn't place it in a school zone at 3:00 and make sure it's visible so everyone sees it and slows down....there's no money to be made making a school zone safe.

Or if there is a cop in. School zone they always hide at the extremity of it waiting to get the guy just coming in or speeding up to get out...no need to enforce the limit where more children are actually present.

Spare me the safety BS and come clean that it's 100% a revenue thing. In St.Albert it's about public safety too...yet they still need an excuse like half the tickets were issued to out of town drivers.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

Meh, as someone who pretty much speeds everywhere, who has 3 or 4 speeding tickets in 14 years, I'd have to say if you're getting a lot of speeding tickets in Calgary, you're not very smart about it.

i got quite a few tickets when i first moved here 10 years ago, but that stopped when i learned my way around and where the cops like to sit. haven't had a ticket in 4 or 5 years now

[Yanda]

Since 2010 ive gotten...

- Speeding 127km/h on Stony southbound CHB
- Green Light 14th and Northmount
- Green Light Beddington/CHB
- Green Light 64th by the Taco Time
- Green Light COP/16th
- Photo Radar Chestermere x2 by the Community Center

Havent gotten anything in 4 months... its really those green light cameras that get me.

[freedogger]

Originally Posted by Yanda

Since 2010 ive gotten...

- Speeding 127km/h on Stony southbound CHB
- Green Light 14th and Northmount
- Green Light Beddington/CHB
- Green Light 64th by the Taco Time
- Green Light COP/16th
- Photo Radar Chestermere x2 by the Community Center

Havent gotten anything in 4 months... its really those green light cameras that get me.

There's an app for those cameras. Check out Trapster. It will warn you when you get close to any of those intersections. I used it until I had all of the locations figured out on my typical routes.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by freedogger

There's an app for those cameras. Check out Trapster. It will warn you when you get close to any of those intersections. I used it until I had all of the locations figured out on my typical routes.

or just don't speed through intersections. i always slow down before an intersection that i don't know, and i memorized which ones have cameras on my daily commute. as long as you slow down before passing the camera post itself, you're fine

[Yanda]

Originally Posted by freedogger

There's an app for those cameras. Check out Trapster. It will warn you when you get close to any of those intersections. I used it until I had all of the locations figured out on my typical routes.

I think your right. Once I learned which intersections had them I avoided it and ive been fine ever since.

[Muta]

I bolted through those toll gates entering Banff National Park.

Probably shouldnt have done that... I deserved every damn bit of that ticket I got.

[puckluck]

The worst is that one block playground zone on 9th ave. That crappy park hasn't seen a kid in 30 years yet they're always out in full force.

[MelBridgeman]

Suprised about Vancouver, when I lived there the only thing i ever saw the VPD do is speed traps.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by MelBridgeman

Suprised about Vancouver, when I lived there the only thing i ever saw the VPD do is speed traps.

They were too busy last year arresting all the rioters.

[Yanda]

Originally Posted by puckluck

The worst is that one block playground zone on 9th ave. That crappy park hasn't seen a kid in 30 years yet they're always out in full force.

You should see chestermere by the community center. My dad got 4 tickets in 1 week just driving to the Tim Hortons and back. Its a 40km/h with a 30 km/h "playground zone" down a small hill. Its pretty brutal. I have 2 Aunts that visited my parents on different occasions and both got tickets in that spot. Ive gotten 2 myself since 2010 and I think 1 more before that as well. You commonly see people slowing down to 10-20 km/h because they fear a ticket.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Muta

I bolted through those toll gates entering Banff National Park.

Probably shouldnt have done that... I deserved every damn bit of that ticket I got.

Speed trap or photo radar? Never seen them sitting there. Mind you I usually slow down there.

The worst one in the city IMO is the stupid photo radar van that's always parked on westbound 16th ave on the way out of town. About 5km of an 80 zone that should be well above that, when it's 90 going eastbound.

[CrusaderPi]

I'm not a driver, I'm just a mobile piggy bank for various levels of government to dip into as needed.

[T@T]

I got yanked on Stoney Trail at 2:30 in the morning, had my cruise set on 113,the cop came beside me from the 94 ave off ramp,tucked in behind me and threw the lights on. "He said you were speeding at 117 in a 100",I said "well,No, my cruise was set on 113 officer(biting my tongue bigtime)

He brings me back a ticket for 17 over ($110.00). I said,see you in court pal and I'm sure the court and your superiors will love to hear you were going about 50k over the speed limit on a ramp just to "get" me on a deserted f''king highway.

So much wrong in these type of tickets and cops.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Russic

I love "taxes" like these. If you stay within the rules you pay $0, while everybody else is free to contribute.

If you stay within the rules, you should be fined for slowing everyone down - you know, negative externality.