Strong support in B.C. for automated red-light camera speed enforcement: Poll

The government says 35 of the 140 Intersection Safety Camera program sites in B.C. will be activated this summer with technology to ticket the registered owners of speeding vehicles. But no date has been set yet for activation.

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A majority of British Columbians support the use of red-light cameras to catch vehicles speeding at intersections, according to a new poll.

The Research Co. poll posted Wednesday found that 68 per cent of those surveyed online support using speed cameras at intersections.

Strong support in B.C. for automated red-light camera speed enforcement: Poll Back to video

The B.C. government announced in May that 35 of the 140 intersection safety camera program sites will be activated this summer with technology to ticket the registered owners of vehicles entering these intersections well over the posted limit on a red, yellow or green light.

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The 35 cameras are in 14 municipalities: Abbotsford, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Delta, Kelowna, Langley, Maple Ridge, Nanaimo, North Vancouver, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Richmond, Surrey and Vancouver.

A government spokesperson said Wednesday that there isn’t a confirmed date when the speed cameras will be switched on, because installation and testing are still being done.

The poll shows that support is highest among women (74 per cent) and British Columbians aged 55 and over (76 per cent).

Mario Canseco, president of Research Co., said seven in 10 British Columbians who do not drive are in favour of speed cameras.

More than half of respondents, 52 per cent, approve of point-to-point speed enforcement, which uses cameras at two or more distant points on a road.

As for other types of speed enforcement, the poll finds 69 per cent of B.C. residents support fixed speed cameras and 63 per cent approve of mobile speed cameras, which can be moved from place to place and measure speed as a vehicle passes.

The government said on average — between 2012 and 2016 — 10,500 vehicles a year drove through each of the 140 intersections travelling at least 30 km/h over the posted limit. That’s 1.47 million speeders through those intersections a year.

The fine for driving between 20 and 40 km/h over the limit is $138, and if you go more than 40 km/h over, it’s $368.

The poll of 800 B.C. adults was conducted from June 22 to 26. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

— With files from David Carrigg