Photo radar ticketing in Coaldale is suspended for the remainder of 2025. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Coaldale suspends photo radar for rest of 2025

Sep 24, 2025 | 10:25 AM

Drivers in Coaldale will not have to worry about getting tickets from photo radar, at least for the next few months.

Coaldale Town Council voted this week to suspend the operation of its Automated Traffic Enforcement program for the remainder of 2025.

The decision was made in response to the Town of Coaldale locking its employees out of their jobs earlier this month, as well as the ongoing negotiations between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

READ MORE: Town of Coaldale employees rally after being locked out

According to council, the potential for a postal interruption over the past four-and-a-half months has limited the Town’s ability to deliver tickets promptly, which was determined to be unfair to residents.

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Mayor Jack Van Rijn says, “Council’s view is that if you receive a traffic violation, it should be delivered to you in a timely manner—not months later due to circumstances beyond your control. If it’s about safety and correcting behavior, residents should be informed that they’ve committed an infraction in a timely manner.”

Van Rijn adds that there is currently a backlog of photo radar tickets, and that the offending drivers will not have to pay the fines. They will, instead, be issued as warnings.

Council will reassess the long-term viability of Coaldale’s photo radar program in the first quarter of 2026.

The Alberta Government made significant changes to photo radar regulations in April 2025, limiting them to only school, playground and construction zones. Municipalities are also able to make special requests for additional photo radar locations in high-collision areas.

READ MORE: Alberta ending ‘photo radar cash cow’

Some communities, like Lethbridge, have maintained the use of photo radar in accordance with the new guidelines, while others, such as Taber, have discontinued their programs.

READ MORE: Photo radar added to dozens of sites around Lethbridge schools

READ MORE: Taber ends use of photo radar