Increasing Fines for Speeding on Residential Roads
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association urge the Government of Alberta to amend the the Traffic Safety Act to increase fines for speeding offences on residential streets.
WHEREAS pedestrian collisions and fatalities in residential areas have increased in recent years;
WHEREAS the public has expressed a growing concern over excessive speeding and the safety of pedestrians in their communities;
WHEREAS vehicular speed is directly related to the severity of injury in a vehicular/pedestrian accidents;
WHEREAS exceeding the speed limit in a residential area by 15 km/hour has potentially more serious consequences than exceeding the speed limit on a highway by 15 km/hour, the fines are still currently the same;
WHEREAS increasing speeding fines are another tool to change driver behaviour; and
WHEREAS speeding fines are under the jurisdiction of The Government of Alberta through the Traffic Safety Act.
According to some traffic safety experts, the risk of death for a pedestrian in a motor vehicle collision increases dramatically when the speed of a vehicle is greater than 30 km/hour. In Calgary, the number of pedestrian fatalities has increased with three already occurring in a residential context for 2014.
The current legislation does not penalize speeding based on the likelihood of impact to public safety nor does it distinguish the type of environment from where the violation occurred. Although pedestrian crossings and other traffic safety calming measures may be in place, they do not work to their optimum potential if there is excessive speeding.
Higher fines may help to discourage drivers from speeding in residential zones. The speed limit for all urban areas in Alberta is 50 km/hour unless otherwise posted. If a violation is 15 km/hour more than the maximum speed limit, the fine is $89 while the current penalty for distracted driving including texting is a fine of $172.
The Minister’s response confirmed that increased fines would be considered as part of the renewal of the Traffic Safety Plan (TSP) which strives to reduce serious injuries and fatalities. The Minister also indicated that municipalities have the ability to undertake other actions such as traffic calming, lower speed limits and driver education.
A general traffic fine increase of 35 per cent and a distracted driving fine increase of 65 per cent came into effect on May 1, 2015. Prior to this, fines had not been increased since 2003.