Watch your speed! Speeding tickets doubled

[rc2002]

October 19, 2005

Slow down! Speeding Tickets in Alberta go through the roof

Edmonton - The Alberta Liberal Caucus has learned that the Conservative cabinet quietly passed an amendment to the Traffic Safety Act doubling the cost of speeding tickets.

"I was stunned to see this change," says Infrastructure Critic Harry Chase. "The Alberta Liberals have publicly joined organizations like the AMA and the Edmonton Police Service in calling for the implementation of the McDermid Report on traffic safety for over a year to absolutely no avail. I hope doubling fines isn't the Conservatives' only traffic safety idea, because it completely misses the point."

"There are so many effective actions in the McDermid report that will make our roads safer," adds Chase. "Doubling fines is nothing more than a tax grab."

Chase also points out that this will have a negative impact on front line police officers trying to educate the public on traffic safety.

"There's likely to be more irate drivers and court fights over this. It really makes the job of police officers thankless when they hand out massive fines and any attempt at education will likely be lost. And just wait for that first $136 photo radar ticket for going 60 in a 50 zone to show up in your mailbox."

The amendment passed by the Conservative Cabinet comes into effect on October 31, 2005 with fines for speeding starting at $100 for exceeding the speed limit by 1 km/hr. Exceeding the limit by 5 km/hr now has a fine of $116, 10 km/hr has a fine of $136, and 15 km/hr has a fine of $156.

Each of these amounts is a doubling over previous fines.



The McDermid report can be found at

http://www.tu.gov.ab.ca/Content/doctype48/production/savinglives.pdf


For more information:

Harry Chase, Infrastructure Critic or Chris McLeod, Director of Communications
403-880-0997
780-904-5430



Holy tax grab batman! And I thought Alberta had a record surplus this year too... :(

[Mr. Burns]

That is re-goddamn-diculous.

[Delta]

fuck, i might need one of those radar detectors now.

[69cougar]

nothing to worry about if you don't speed. :dunno:

[dastick]

HHHHMMMMM......mybe next year when they realize they made too much money doing this they will issue speeding ticket rebate cheques, like they did with gas:poosie: yeah right!

[TheBenzo]

Who the fuck doesnt speed? Every time I drive the entire group of traffic is doing 5-10 over. Fuck that.. photoradar can eat my balls too.

This province is a joke.

[Xtrema]

This only apply outside municipalities, right?

[USHER]

100 bucks for 1km over??

:eek: :bullshit: :guns:

[ninspeed]

in the paper today that said that this was only in affect in construction zones, and hazzard zones (with in a certain limit of a police/rcmp/ambulance/fire/ or any other vehicle with flashing lights, ie. tow truck)...

[GQBalla]

so a photo radar van will take your picture even if your goin 51 in a 50 zone???

[dj_honda]

Originally posted by GQBalla
so a photo radar van will take your picture even if your goin 51 in a 50 zone???

no. that would be ridiculously easy to fight.

[dragonone]

time for a gb on valentine one and escort

[max_boost]

What, another cash grab from the government?:thumbsdow :bullshit:

[Speed_69]

i never knew they gave tickets for 1km/h over:dunno:

[rony_espana]

Saving Lives on Alberta Roads.....
Ticketing someone going 51 in a 50 zone is going to save lives....

[QuasarCav]

They have to make a fine for it because it is technically going faster than the posted limit but i'm guessing no one has ever gotten a 1 over ticket.

I hear photo radar is set for a certain number over the limit. A radar cop probably wont bother you for anything less than 10 over unless you are driving a rice-mobile.

[WWJAI]

imagine if they really did start giving $100 ticket for exceeding the speed limit by 1 km/hr...everyone would start driving like 10km/h slower than maximum just incase their tach isn't giving such an accurate read...

[Nissanaddict]

speedo not tach. :p...btw, a cop told me a while ago (guest speaker back in school) that they typically go to 15% over the limit (although I have gotten pulled over for 100 in a 90, so 15% over or 10 over, whichever comes first?

50 = 57.5
60 = 69
70 = 80.5
80 = 92
90 = 103.5
100 = 115
110 = 126.5

[redec]

Originally posted by dragonone
time for a gb on valentine one and escort

:werd:

[sputnik]

How much radar (other than photoradar) is actually used anymore? Are laser detectors effective in Calgary?

[Redlyne_mr2]

Its still effective because these useless cops setup little hiding spots and stop speeding cars in dangerous locations.

[fast95pony]

What's the fine for running a red light in a Smart Car ??
:dunno:

[QuasarCav]

Originally posted by fast95pony
What's the fine for running a red light in a Smart Car ??
:dunno:


I think it works out to be around $400 for every man, woman and child.:dunno:

[1-Bar]

wow, well if that isn't a kick in the nutz, I dunno what is.......

[silva27]

No problem here, I go the speed limit...sometimes 4 over. In the other hand, this is ludacris!

[FiveFreshFish]

Originally posted by Speed_69
i never knew they gave tickets for 1km/h over:dunno:

They can but they don't. Maybe in a playground zone it's possible but unlikely.

The 1 km/h fine is a starting point. They HAVE to state it because the law says you can't exceed the speed limit.

What good is a speed limit if the fines start at say 5 km/h over? That would mean you can speed up 4 km/h over the limit and not get a ticket because there's no specified fine for going up to 4 over.

[googe]

gay:thumbsdow

[googe]

Originally posted by sputnik
How much radar (other than photoradar) is actually used anymore? Are laser detectors effective in Calgary?

shit dude, is this your first time on beyond?! i hope thats a subtle joke :)

[Phy]

Jeez. Just use your eyes and don't drive like maniacs, people.

Besides, I thought they kicked the fines up to these numbers a couple years ago... or was that just in Calgary?

[/////AMG]

Hmmm, interesting.

[sputnik]

Originally posted by googe
shit dude, is this your first time on beyond?! i hope thats a subtle joke :)

Actually I am kinda serious. I have never owned a radar/laser detector before and now that I have my Accord (with 12V in the arm rest) I was considering getting one.

From what I know most speed traps are laser, and photoradar is only detected after you pass the van (i.e useless). Also, from what I understand most laser guns hit you at the same time your detector goes off thus leaving you with little or no time to slow down.

So I dont think its an unreasonable question.

[l8braker]

Great :thumbsdow :thumbsdow :thumbsdow :thumbsdow

[reality_v2]

Ya usually the detector will go nuts if you suddenly have a laser on you, it's usefull if they setup hiding spots in the middle and they have a laser going on the whole time. As for the photo radar, if you're going to get a liscense plate screen, those don't work too well, i was talking with a traffic section sgt. earlier this year, for that use the sprays, he said those work the best and the thing is that it's hard to get caught. As for the radar detector, i dont' remember if they're illegal in Calgary, but if they are and they put a laser on your car and you slam on the brakes, they'll get you for illegal use of a laser detector and speeding, double whammy, but seriously, if you guys look onto the city website, the calgary police service has to post where they can have hidouts, so just sorta memorize those and hope no ghost cars come up behind you, lol

[HRD2PLZ]

A colleague knows someone in the RCMP and apparently the RCMP won't pull you over if you are going under 129km/h on the highway. I think this was between Calgary and Edmonton.

[sputnik]

I really dont worry about photo radar as I just pay attention when I am driving. Anyone who gets a photo radar ticket should get off their cell phone and open their eyes. Its pretty hard to miss a minivan parked on the side of Deerfoot or Crowchild.

I'm more concerned about a ghost car parked somewhere or a laser trap.

[sputnik]

Originally posted by HRD2PLZ
A colleague knows someone in the RCMP and apparently the RCMP won't pull you over if you are going under 129km/h on the highway. I think this was between Calgary and Edmonton.

Myth. I know a number of people that have received tickets on the QE2 for around 125 km/h. Especially around Ponoka.

[bspot]

Until I see a link for this, I'm calling :bullshit:

No way in hell.

This would atleast show up in google news.

[Hakkola]

Am I the only one who thinks the fines are still pretty low? 1 over is rediculous, but 15 over is only $156 dollars? 15 over is quite a bit, and I'll be honest I do 15 over quite often, but a $156 for breaking the speed limit laws by so much is a joke to me, that should be more like $300 IMO.


Originally posted by silva27
No problem here, I go the speed limit...sometimes 4 over. In the other hand, this is ludacris!

It's ludicrous, Ludacris is a rapper... "if you do the speed limit get the fuck outta my way"



I see how you can get confused ;)

[DC2]

wasnt there a variance of 9 km/h or something of that sort?
i dont think it was 15%

[Ben]

Originally posted by sputnik


Myth. I know a number of people that have received tickets on the QE2 for around 125 km/h. Especially around Ponoka.

Yep, Several people I know got tickets for 121, and 120. It all depends on the Constable you encounter.

[C4S]

:eek: :eek:

124 Millions dollar a yr?? in 2003?

so . if they double the fines now .. they want to make $300 millions? they are crazy!

why don't they do something meaningful? rather then catching people going 10km over when going DOWNHILL! :banghead:

[sputnik]

The guys at work are saying that the fines that are going to be doubled are only the one for people speeding through construction zones or not slowing when passing emergency vehicles.

[Ben]

Originally posted by sputnik
The guys at work are saying that the fines that are going to be doubled are only the one for people speeding through construction zones or not slowing when passing emergency vehicles.

That would make sense, I could care less if they doubled fines in Construction/school/playground/emergency zones, because I have the decency to slow down and pay attention.

I dont know how many times I've been doing 70 on that DouglasDale Deerfoot zone, and have some jerkoff tailgate me (usually a pickup) just to turnout and blow past me, only to get a photoradar ticket 10 seconds later. I laugh my ass off every time. OWNED! Shoulda been paying attention instread of getting frustrated with a slower moving vehicle in front of you.

[FiveFreshFish]

Originally posted by sputnik
From what I know most speed traps are laser, and photoradar is only detected after you pass the van (i.e useless). Also, from what I understand most laser guns hit you at the same time your detector goes off thus leaving you with little or no time to slow down.

So I dont think its an unreasonable question.

I use a Passport 8500 and it has detected laser and photo radar with some limited success.

You are correct about the laser. When it hits you, he's got a reading already. There are instances where it detects laser that is aimed at cars ahead of you, and this is about the only time it can save your ass as far as laser goes. So it you're the lead car, you have no chance unless you have a jammer.

Photo radar is hard to detect because it's aimed away from the target. Mine will detect it in a few car lengths before going past the radar van, not much more. You'll get a better reading as it's bouncing off the cars in front of you. It will detect a signal a lot further away if the photo radar van shooting oncoming traffic, but that doesn't affect you.

Because of its limited usefulness, I no longer use it in the city. As everyone said, keep your eyes peeled and you won't have any problems. Still, it's a good tool for highway driving.

[Nissanaddict]

Good to know. :thumbsup: Although I just speed a helluva lot less than I used to, it's still slightly hard to go 110 on sections of brand new flat smooth dual highway 1 in saskatchewan.

[googe]

Originally posted by sputnik


Actually I am kinda serious. I have never owned a radar/laser detector before and now that I have my Accord (with 12V in the arm rest) I was considering getting one.

From what I know most speed traps are laser, and photoradar is only detected after you pass the van (i.e useless). Also, from what I understand most laser guns hit you at the same time your detector goes off thus leaving you with little or no time to slow down.

So I dont think its an unreasonable question.

the reason i was implying that it was unreasonable is because we have had about a thread a week on the topic for the past several years ;)

[BlueGoblin]

Here is the link to the real story on this, if anyone is interested:

www.saferoads.com/drivers/constructionsfty_faq.html

[finboy]

hmmm, i should probably get my speedometer working now

[mx73someday]

Originally posted by Ben

I dont know how many times I've been doing 70 on that DouglasDale Deerfoot zone, and have some jerkoff tailgate me (usually a pickup) just to turnout and blow past me, only to get a photoradar ticket 10 seconds later. I laugh my ass off every time. OWNED! Shoulda been paying attention instread of getting frustrated with a slower moving vehicle in front of you.


AMEN!!! Cops are always so serious when you get the ticket, and so are the courts and the prosecution, but the truth is they don't enforce speeding in construction zones like they should.

So many people are desensitized to obeying construction zone speed limits, it was dangerous to drive through the DouglasDale section at 70 at times. They should've had 24 hour enforcement there, they would've earned alot of money and what's more is they would've shown alot of people that construction zones are serious things.

If speeding was the serious crime they make it out to be, then they need to ask the army or government for help enforcing it, because it's virtually civil disobidience out there. This half-assed enforcement is bullshit. I'm sure with the doubling of the fines, they'll cut their enforcement in half. Randomly enforced fines also contribute to poverty, a rich person would have no problem paying a few hundred bucks for speeding, whereas this could break a poor family's budget very quickly.

I've been speeding my entire life, and have never been in an accident, but I always respect the construction/playground/school zone speed limits. I just wish the rest of Alberta did the same thing.

[Phy]

Um... the army? How are they supposed to stop speeders, with tank rounds? And the local Mountie contingent isn't large enough to do the job of the municipals.

Face it: the cops can't be everywhere and they can't do everything. If they're promoting speeding as Serious Business, it's because it's cheaper to make a large portion of people not want to speed, than it is to physically chase after them.

As for the lack of enforcement in construction/playground/school zones... in most of those places it's hard to hide a cruiser. I can only speak from my own experiences, but I've only seen a cop car in a playground zone once, hiding behind the crest of a hill on city property.

I'd almost think the police needed permission from the owner to run an operation on or in front of the property, but I'm probably wrong there?

[mx73someday]

I'm just saying if you saw a large group of people commit the same crime in the same place, nearly every minute of every day, and it goes nearly completely unenforced, it should be considered civil disobedience and they should take this very seriously. This is how people become desensitized to construction zones and it's clearly enforcement's fault for letting the people do what they want with only minor risk of penalty/fines.

When I drive through construction zones like the one in Douglasdale and I get passed by dozens of vehicles in one pass, sometimes at 20km/h over the limit, I don't see how it's any different than a bunch of people looting or people rioting.

Why does law enforcement always have to hide? I've watched many people get caught by photo radar in Douglasdale, the van was in plain sight.

[Weapon_R]

Originally posted by sputnik


Actually I am kinda serious. I have never owned a radar/laser detector before and now that I have my Accord (with 12V in the arm rest) I was considering getting one.

From what I know most speed traps are laser, and photoradar is only detected after you pass the van (i.e useless). Also, from what I understand most laser guns hit you at the same time your detector goes off thus leaving you with little or no time to slow down.

So I dont think its an unreasonable question.

Radar/laser detectors do not give any reasonable warning. You will need a laser jammer, like the Blinder M10. Very effective from what i've read.

[rc2002]

Yeah the Blinder laser jammers work awesome. The M10 has now been discontinued - they have the M20 and M40 (for trucks) now.

[frostyda9]

Originally posted by DC2
wasnt there a variance of 9 km/h or something of that sort?
i dont think it was 15%

In my experience, I have found fairly consistently that the trigger speed will be 11km/h over the limit, regardless of posted speed limit. This doesn't include construction, playground, school zones, and the like, which may be more stringent.
I don't know of anyone who has received a ticket for less than 10km/h over the limit in normal conditions.

[Goblin]

Originally posted by silva27
No problem here, I go the speed limit...sometimes 4 over. In the other hand, this is ludacris!

Move bitch, get out the way, get out the way, move bitch!


anyway,

The amendment passed by the Conservative Cabinet comes into effect on October 31, 2005 with fines for speeding starting at $100 for exceeding the speed limit by 1 km/hr . Exceeding the limit by 5 km/hr now has a fine of $116, 10 km/hr has a fine of $136, and 15 km/hr has a fine of $156.


100 for 1 over? common wtf.

I think Valentine 1 + Blinder m-20 extreme has come to my top priority list.

[AllGoNoShow]

Yah, Val 1 and Blinder M20 for me, also time to scout out more hiding spots just past radar locations :D

[dragonone]

didn't someone already say they won't clock u for 1 over, it's just there so the law makes sense
but they should have mobile unmanned cameras/lasers in these construction or playground/school zones, that way everyone would know not the speed in one
it's just kind of that thought like how's he getting away w/ it
like the 40 zone at UC near the new hospital (sure helps getting to class tho lol)

[FiveFreshFish]

Originally posted by dragonone
didn't someone already say they won't clock u for 1 over, it's just there so the law makes sense

Yup, let me reiterate: :)

Originally posted by FiveFreshFish


They can but they don't. Maybe in a playground zone it's possible but unlikely.

The 1 km/h fine is a starting point. They HAVE to state it because the law says you can't exceed the speed limit.

What good is a speed limit if the fines start at say 5 km/h over? That would mean you can speed up 4 km/h over the limit and not get a ticket because there's no specified fine for going up to 4 over.

[Raz2]

Valentine 1 + M40 Bundle http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/bin_15x54.gif

:D

- Rasmus