Transportation minister says Albertas photo radar changes wont cause safety risk [Video]

Alberta’s transportation minister rejects accusations a move to reduce photo radar enforcement puts lives at risk.

Devin Dreeshen says the last three municipalities that removed it actually saw fewer collisions. He pointed to Hinton, Leduc and Wood Buffalo as examples. His office declined to provide data to support his statement.

“When someone says photo radar is the be all and end all, when it comes to accidents, the municipalities that actually removed photo radar, the data doesn’t support that,” Dreeshen told reporters at the legislature.

On Monday, Dreeshen announced Alberta is ending photo radar on provincial highways except for school, playground and construction zones.

The province aims to shut down 70 per cent of the province’s 2,200 photo radar sites in the coming months.

Dreeshen has said that too often the sites are akin to a “cash cow” — prioritizing making money for municipalities over road safety.

Mark Neufeld, the head of the Calgary Police Service and president of the Alberta Association …