7/11/2009
Canada: Errant Speed Camera Tickets Slow DriversRefunds issued to 158 motorists in Edmonton, Canada ticketed by a speed camera for traveling at or below the limit.
![Edmonton speed trap](/rlc/pix/edrvb.jpg)
The city of Edmonton, Canada admitted this week that 158 motorists were ticketed for driving at or below the speed limit on June 21. Because a mobile speed camera unit on the Whitemud Freeway at Rainbow Valley Bridge was set up improperly that day, the city will cancel or refund about $11,000 worth of citations, the Canadian Press reported.
The average safe travel and design speed of the Whitemud Freeway is 100km/h (62 MPH), but city officials lowered the limit to 80km/h (50 MPH), making it a favorite location to deploy mobile photo radar traps. On Sunday, June 21, a camera operator set the device's trigger speed to 70km/h (43 MPH).
The tickets were processed, issued and mailed without any verification that the settings were correct. When motorist Matt O'Daly received a $71 ticket in the mail, he remembered that he had not been speeding on that day. After he complained to the Edmonton Police Service, officials were forced to admit the error.