File photo of a Lethbridge Police vehicle (Lethbridge News Now)

By Justin Goulet

Lethbridge Police note increase in speeding and concerning driving behaviours

May 1, 2020 | 8:53 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Lethbridge Police say they’ve noticed an increase in speeding and other concerning driving behaviors across the city.

The issue was brought to the service Wednesday evening during a public meeting of the Lethbridge Police Commission when acting Chief Scott Woods addressed several questions from citizens concerned about the on-going use of photo radar during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Woods noted that the LPS has seen less vehicle traffic on local roads, which in turn has resulted in an increase in unsafe driving practices. This includes racing and “stunting”.

Police have also observed higher rates of speed for tickets being issued, likely attributed to less traffic volume and drivers taking liberties as a result, according to Woods.

In 2020 so far, officers have issued five tickets to drivers clocked at going over 50 km/h over the limit. In all of 2019, there were no tickets for 50 km/h speed violations.

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“Road safety has always been important and even so right now with the increase in pedestrian and bicycle traffic as more people are outside enjoying the warm weather while we continue to navigate the restrictions imposed during the pandemic,” Woods stated, in a release from LPS.

LPS noted that some of the concerns about photo radar and police continuing to issue tickets during a pandemic could have a detrimental effect on some residents who have been laid off from work, who are facing financial uncertainties and day to day stresses brought on by COVID-19.

Photo radar is used in areas where conventional enforcement is unsafe or ineffective, areas with a history of collisions, speeding issues and other offences, in school, playground and construction zones, and areas with high pedestrian traffic as well as areas where the public has expressed concerns related to speeding.

LPS stated that drivers are responsible for obeying all rules of the road, and conventional as well as photo enforcement of traffic offences will not be suspended due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

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