Speeder Given A $1,022 Fine

“I’m certainly not impressed it’s an 80 kilometre per hour corridor and it has a camera for public safety,” said Staff Sargeant Randy Jesse of the Moose Jaw Police Service about a motorist recently clocked travelling at 150 km\hr through the intersection of 9th Avenue NW and the Trans Canada Highway.

For driving 70 km\hr over the posted speed limit the owner of the vehicle will receive a ticket for $1022.

“It’s an intersection that is high collision, high impact and high fatality so we put in automated speed control,” Staff Sgt Jesse said.

He said the automated speed control is not designed to be a hidden tax or a cash cow like they are in other provincial jurisdictions but rather the intent is to slow people down and prevent accidents. The area is clearly marked with multiple signs to slow people down to the 80 km\hr limit or slower.

“There must be four or five signs warning motorists about the automated speed control…the signage clearly states that it is there.”

First message on one of the signs heading west approaching the intersection of 9th Avenue NW and the Trans Canada Highway - MJ Independent photo

Although he could not say why this driver was exceeding the speed limit by 70 km/hr Staff Sgt Jesse attributed a lot of the drivers speeding caught by the camera to drivers who were not paying proper attention to the road.

This loss of attention to the road could be something as simple having the cruise control on and driving at the regular highway speed and then speeding through the 80 km/hr zone. The automated speed control system would then take a photograph and a violation is issued.

Asked about the number of tickets issued Staff Sgt Jesse said since the automated speed control system was deployed the number of tickets issued has dropped while at the same time the number of collisions at what was once a high collision intersection has dropped dramatically.

“In the past we use to go out there all of the time and when you went out there for a collision it was either for an injury or fatality…we hardly go out there now.”

The lower revenues versus the sharp drop in collosions is something he can live with.

“It’s not about generating tax revenue but reducing collisions.”

Second message on one of the signs heading west approaching the intersection of 9th Avenue NW and the Trans Canada Highway - MJ Independent photo

Although he did not have the most recent statistics available the numbers of overall tickets issued by the three cameras rotated through the four different camera stations was down this year due to COVID - 19. The drop was because people were staying home more and their driving habits had greatly changed.

But there is one statistic he could speak to which has remained constant and that is the percentage of drivers who are caught speeding stays about the same in relation to the number of vehicles that drive by.

“We know out of how many cars go by them (photo radar speed control stations) there are so many (percentage of) people speeding,” Staff Sgt Jesse said.

For the individual who was caught driving 150 km/hr through the intersection of 9th Avenue NW and the Trans Canada Highway if they had been caught by a patrol officer the penalties would be much harsher and would have included a vehicle seizure, he said.

Vehicles can be seized under Section 240 of the Highway Traffic Act for major breaches of the Rules Of The Road.

For driving more than 50 km\hr above the posted speed limit of 80 km\hr if an officer and not the camera had caught the speeder the vehicle could be impounded for seven days with the vehlcle’s owner responsible for the towing and storage fees.

Additionally drivers are issued with points that effects their insurance and for those needing a clean driving record to drive if caught by an officer their Driver’s Abstract would show the offence.

Playground Zone ‘Honours’ Winner

The driver caught speeding at 150 km\hr was not the only driver facing penalties for a heavy foot.

In a playground zone - where there is a 40 km\hr speed limit - one driver is now out $302 after the automated speed control system clocked the vehicle at 58 km\hr.

Moose Jaw does not have school zones it has playground zones he said, adding that meant according to the present Traffic Bylaw the speed limit is 40 km/hr seven days a week all year long and not just on school days.

The camera locations - set up on Caribou Street and Grace Street - have caught their fair share of offenders with the higher traffic and more open Caribou Street West location close to William Grayson School being the busiest.

Staff Sgt Jesse said the reason for the higher number of tickets issued is Caribou is a main street and more open and “Grace is a more residential street and people are more likely to slow down.”

The automated speed control system are set to exact limits and to be safe and not be ticketed Jesse said to not speed.

“If it (the speed limit) is 40 km/hr then drive at 39 km/hr and you won’t be ticketed,” he said.