British Columbian drivers in a hurry are on notice.
There are now 35 new speed-enforcement cameras at busy and high-risk intersections around B.C., designed to ticket the fastest vehicles.
“Intersection Safety Camera (ISC) equipment captures images and speeds of the fastest vehicles passing through monitored intersections on red, yellow and green lights,” said the Ministry of Public Safety in a press release issued Wednesday.
“Before mailing tickets, which carry fines but no penalty points, ISC officers review the digital images and data to confirm the applicable Motor Vehicle Act charge or charges.”
The Ministry says it is not only about catching speeders. The owner of a vehicle that zooms through a red light would face fines for both speeding, and running the red.
Prominent warning signs are in place to warn and deter speeding drivers.
Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, confirmed all but one new ISC program sites are up and running, clicking 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
According to the press release, since B.C. activated its first five automated speed enforcement cameras at the end of July 2019, the program has issued more than 20,000 speeding tickets with the fastest ticketed vehicle clocking in at 174 kilometres per hour, in a 80 kilometre per hour zone.
The one speed-capturing ISC not operating to its full capacity is in Nanaimo, at the Island Highway at Aulds Road intersection. This camera will not be fully operational until mid-September, to allow drivers to adjust to a recent reduction of the speed limit in the area, from 80km per hour to 70km per hour. This site is still activated for red-light enforcement.
There are a total of six ISC sites on Vancouver Island, however for the time being the only one that will be capturing speeders is the camera along Island Highway, which isn’t currently operating. The others just capture those travelling through a red light, however, that could change in the future.
Of the 35 speed-enforcement cameras, 32 of them are located in the Lower Mainland area around Vancouver. For Islanders who routinely head over to Vancouver, there are several speed-capturing cameras along main transport routes from the ferry terminals. This includes multiple cameras along Oak St, Granville St, and in North Vancouver.
As far as Vancouver Island goes, there are currently red-light cameras in Victoria, one located at Trans Canada Highway at Tillicum Road, and another on Shelbourne Street and Hillside Avenue.
In Duncan, a camera resides at the Trans Canada Highway and Trunk Road intersection. Along the same highway in Nanaimo, another camera lives at Norwell Drive, as well as the previously mentioned Aulds Road location.
Courtenay holds the final camera, at 17th Street at Cliffe Avenue.
To see the location of all 140 ISC sites, check out the map on the the province’s website.
Quarterly data for ISC red-light and speed violation tickets can be found on the government’s website.
CHEK News
