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This critique is certainly what many local politicians and city officials appear to believe. That’s why they’re not going to limit photo radar. They believe they’re all about the safety and on the side of the angels. I’m going to point out, though, that they’re not completely on the side of their own police chief any more. Just last week, Edmonton police Chief Rod Knecht spoke against the low 100 km/h limit on the Henday ring road.

Safe driving speeds

“I think the speed limit on the Henday is wrong,” he told reporters. “I think it should be raised. … I think the state of that roadway, in the summer time in particular, probably 110 (km/h) is not unreasonable. … I don’t think it would have any impact on public safety at all.”

Various photo radar units “police the heck” out of the Henday, Knecht said, then explained how he had recently driven near the limit on the Henday, but that had been problematic: “It was like I was standing still. Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! I’m almost perhaps contributing to an accident because I’m going so slow.”

The essential issue here, as traffic experts will tell you, is that the safest drivers drive according to arterial road conditions with the flow of traffic, not way below it or way above it. But if the speed limit is set well below that safe flow, such as on the Henday, the vast majority of drivers will be driving safely, but they’re still going to get zapped by the city’s array of Henday photo radar honey pots.

This was never the purpose of photo radar. It was brought in 20 years ago to hammer dangerous, reckless drivers who rocket through traffic, not penalize the herd of safe drivers.