Photo radar in construction zones?

[speedog]

Photo radar in construction zones? Ann article from the driving.ca web site here.

Read the article if you wish, it's all pretty straight forward. Having known people who have worked along side a highway with reduced speed zones, I have a bit different view on this - I would welcome anything that'll slow people down as many ignore the signs regularly. The stories I've heard from them and the incidents is quite something.

In the end, so what if it takes an extra 15 or 30 seconds or even a few minutes. The people in these construction zones are most likely there doing something to improve the world we have to live in and a bit extra of a safety cushion isn't necessarily a bad thing.

It is quite amazing when in a construction speed zone how many people will try to sneak through by going just a bit faster. Maybe a doubled speeding ticket fine will tune them up but I suspect not - some are more than willing to take that risk, other simply do not care.

Some will call it another cash cow similar to our all encompassing playground zones here in Calgary. While I do support playground zones, I am not in favour of the hours nor the ridiculous amount of them.

So photo radar in construction zones - yay or nay? What say you?

[codetrap]

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[speedog]

Originally posted by codetrap
Umm.. there's already photo radar in construction zones. So, what's your point here?

Well that's good but I've never encountered it.

Never the less, if it's there would you support an increased usage of photo radar in construction zones and your reasoning whether yes or no?

I think this is a bit of a different issue then playground zones but at the same time, if there are no workers on site then possibly a reduced speed zone through the construction area, just not as much when workers are present and it would all depend on the physical aspects of the construction site. Why be doing 50kph at 2AM when regular non-construction speed is 100kph and 70kph might suffice at that idle 2AM time barring physical aspects?

[Tarrantula]

Both the playground zones I encounter have photo radar quite often. Westbound Glenmore just before Barlow there is a cop ALWAYS on the right after the tracks, and Crowchild at Fraser Dr always has one too..

I personally welcome it, having new interchanges and fixes to other traffic problems (Ie. Glenmore east of deerfoot) makes all the hassle worth it.

[lasimmon]

I think people would respect construction zones more if they didn't extend +/- 1 km on each side of the zone and they weren't at a reduced speed when no one is working.

Things like that make people upset and cause them to speed.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I see 3-4 photo radar vehicles a week (they stand out like a sore thumb), and almost every single day there is one of their photo radar Explorers in the Crowchild overpass construction zone around Marda Loop/Garrison. Nobody goes 50 through there though because they have an absolutely ridiculous distance between the start/end of the zone and the construction. Also if nobody's working, people fly through there at normal speed all the time.

The other place I see them a few times a week in is the flat section on 17th ave Westbound, around 20th street or so going up the hill toward Crowchild. They are there ALL the time like clockwork, hiding behind some dirty old van that is always parked there. Same old Explorers with the roof flashes that might as well have a giant "photo radar" sign on them.

[rx7boi]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
I see 3-4 photo radar vehicles a week (they stand out like a sore thumb), and almost every single day there is one of their photo radar Explorers in the Crowchild overpass construction zone around Marda Loop/Garrison. Nobody goes 50 through there though because they have an absolutely ridiculous distance between the start/end of the zone and the construction. Also if nobody's working, people fly through there at normal speed all the time.

I went through that construction area back in March at like 10pm after a movie at Chinook.

Fuckers were camped out in a dark stretch like trolls.

Got a ticket for 73km. I always slow down in construction zones but that one caught me by surprise because it was so dark and I don't remember seeing any signs other than all the concrete dividers they had up.

IMO photo radars in construction zones are ok, but the real problem is keeping speed limits low even after work has completed for the day.

The official party line is that it's for your safety because there could be debris left over from construction but it's just easier to fine people going over 50km and look good while doing it.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by rx7boi


I went through that construction area back in March at like 10pm after a movie at Chinook.

Fuckers were camped out in a dark stretch like trolls.

Got a ticket for 73km. I always slow down in construction zones but that one caught me by surprise because it was so dark and I don't remember seeing any signs other than all the concrete dividers they had up.

IMO photo radars in construction zones are ok, but the real problem is keeping speed limits low even after work has completed for the day.

The official party line is that it's for your safety because there could be debris left over from construction but it's just easier to fine people going over 50km and look good while doing it.

Yeah man, they are there almost every day. Just assume they are there whenever you drive through until you can see far enough to verify they aren't. The sign to start the "zone" is so far away from the construction I think a lot of people miss it.

That's brutal though, at least it won't be double because nobody would have been working.

[revelations]

I agree with photo radar during TIMES of actual construction. Having a flashing van at 11pm with a vacant site does NOT help the construction workers.

[codetrap]

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[D'z Nutz]

I have no problems with photo radar in construction zones. I fully welcome it and the doubled fines because there are people working on the roads. Maybe it's just when I drive, but I rarely see it enforced and wish they would do it more often.

What I don't support is the reduced speeds when there are no construction workers present. It's absurd to expect people to drive 50kmh down Deerfoot at like 2AM when nobody else is around. The rule should be slow down when construction workers are present. I've only seen that a few times and it's usually not in Calgary.

[Sugarphreak]

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[max_boost]

Originally posted by D'z Nutz
I have no problems with photo radar in construction zones. I fully welcome it and the doubled fines because there are people working on the roads. Maybe it's just when I drive, but I rarely see it enforced and wish they would do it more often.

What I don't support is the reduced speeds when there are no construction workers present. It's absurd to expect people to drive 50kmh down Deerfoot at like 2AM when nobody else is around. The rule should be slow down when construction workers are present. I've only seen that a few times and it's usually not in Calgary.

[Hallowed_point]

Originally posted by D'z Nutz
I have no problems with photo radar in construction zones. I fully welcome it and the doubled fines because there are people working on the roads. Maybe it's just when I drive, but I rarely see it enforced and wish they would do it more often.

What I don't support is the reduced speeds when there are no construction workers present. It's absurd to expect people to drive 50kmh down Deerfoot at like 2AM when nobody else is around. The rule should be slow down when construction workers are present. I've only seen that a few times and it's usually not in Calgary.

Same here. What I find so interesting is how people poke along at or below the speed limit, but blast through a live construction site. Seriously wtf

[JustinL]

Originally posted by Hallowed_point
Same here. What I find so interesting is how people poke along at or below the speed limit, but blast through a live construction site. Seriously wtf

I see that all the time in the Anthony Henday construction here in Edmonton. It's like they set the cruise at 95kph and hold up traffic in the 100 zones and blast through the construction zones.

[Hallowed_point]

Originally posted by JustinL
I see that all the time in the Anthony Henday construction here in Edmonton. It's like they set the cruise at 95kph and hold up traffic in the 100 zones and blast through the construction zones.

Exactly this! Same goes for entering school/playground zones. Rip on through them. Drivers like that should take transit.

[D'z Nutz]

Originally posted by Hallowed_point
Same here. What I find so interesting is how people poke along at or below the speed limit, but blast through a live construction site. Seriously wtf

And if there is a cop near by, then they drive under the speed limit. I was going through the 80km/h zone before the 50km/h construction zone southbound Deerfoot on the weekend and everyone was going 40km/h cause of a cop car. I was blowing by everyone without even exceeding the speed limit

[Maxt]

Speed zones would be a lot more effective if :
1) They didn't put a speed zone up for every outside project no matter how minor, a guy is digging out a utility line with a shovel 300 feet off in a field, well better put that roadway down from 80 to 30 and close 2 lanes.
2)They didn't leave them in a mess, half up/half down and with main speed sign still visible. Is it 80 or 50, well everyone except the one guy is trying to do 80, lane jumping mayhem.
3) They shouldn't leave the random signage hanging around for 4 weeks after the project is completely done for the police to use a barrel to shoot ducks in.

[gwill]

Had a speeding in a construction zone ticket reduced from $800 down to $120 because the police said there were construction workers present when there weren't. Fines are only double of workers are present. Many pay double the price without understanding that.

[Sugarphreak]

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