More red-light cameras coming to B.C.
 

Accidents in B.C. intersections are more deadly than the gang war currently raging in the Lower Mainland.

So while police and the provincial government are struggling to deal with the ongoing power struggle between gangsters over drugs and money, new measures were announced Friday to deal with the vehicle crashes at intersections that kill or injure 53,000 people every year in B.C.

Instead of 30 film cameras rotated around 120 locations, the Insurance Corporation of B.C. is spending $20 million to permanently install digital cameras to deter drivers running red lights at 140 of the province’s worst intersections.

The new cameras were announced by Solicitor-General John van Dongen, who pointed out there are 270 crashes at intersections in B.C. every day.

“The vast majority of this carnage has nothing to do with the intersections themselves,” said van Dongen. “It has to do with the drivers, who make dangerous decisions — particularly those who run red lights.”

While the cameras are currently being tested at intersections in Burnaby, Port Moody, Surrey and Vancouver, ICBC is still putting together the data police will use to choose exactly where the cameras will be installed this summer.

As was the case previously, a police officer will have to review the digital evidence to ensure the infraction occurred.

But offenders will receive their ticket in five to 10 days compared to the old technology, which required manual retrieval of the film, processing and analysis — a process that could take three to five weeks.

There were 23,000 red-light infractions last year in B.C., with $2.8 million in fines collected and returned to municipalities to pay for policing.

Nicolas Jimenez, ICBC’s road safety director, explained that the new cameras aren’t about collecting more cash.

“The point of this program is to change behaviour,” said Jimenez.

Each intersection with one of the cameras will be signed to inform drivers they could be on camera.

ICBC’s last study of the red-light camera program in 2006 showed that crashes involving death or injury declined by 6.4 per cent at sites with red-light crashes, with overall crashes at those intersections falling six per cent.

Intersections are targeted because crashes there are often the most serious, usually involving one vehicle striking the side of another — the so-called ‘T-bone.’

• Video footage using the new technology to show a driver running a red light and nearly causing an accident can be viewed at http://www.icbc.com/inside_icbc/down...ght-runner.exe.

© Copyright (c) The Province

hmmm a sign that says "smile you are on red light camera" is a good idea imo. props.

hey there was an s2k in that video..

but damn.. that versa was a dumbshit.. god damn.. good stuff..

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I noticed them testing the new ones out at Knight/49th, thing kept flashing non-stop!

that's good..no one should be running red on major intersections in the first place.

Yeah.. saw the ones at 49th and Knight being put up a few days ago.

where did vancouver find 20 million when we are having trouble paying for the olympic village?
this will be another excuse for the next icbc insurance hike =(

I hope that they don't install speed cams like what they have in the UK and other parts of Europe. It's so bad in the UK that they have speed cams on the bloody motorways.

There's several studies showing red light cameras increase accidents, and doesn't decrease serious collisions, merely replacing collisions in the intersection with rear-end collisions.

There's no study proving RLCs have any positive effect.

The proper way to increase safety at intersections is to increase the yellow time. Yet RLCs are revenue generating, so municipalities would rather use them as an excuse for public safety to generate revenue.

they got 2.8mil from red light tickets alone from last year apparently. :eek: So the system will pay itself off in 7-8 years?

ya, saw them testing at kingsway and royal oak

WHAT DOES THIS SENTENCE MEAN???? WTF?

How many intersections are there in BC and how many cars use them everyday compared to how many ganstars on the road.

Why the F did the report write this pointless sentence?

It would be better if you say there are more immigrants coming to BC than the number of workers being laid off by the Big-3 in this few months.

WTF?

I don't mind people shouldn't be running reds anyway.

They just want to rip us off, that's all.

0.1mph speeding is what they called a serious offend in the UK. Everyone has to do below the speed limit to aviod getting tickets.

They are the leaders of modern Conservatism...

more? wtf