Google Maps Adding Photo Radar Warnings For Drivers In Canada (huffingtonpost.ca)

Google Maps is warning drivers in Canada as they approach some photo radar camera locations. "The feature, which is currently being rolled out by Google, allows users to see speed limits, speed cameras and mobile speed cameras on the map before they leave," reports HuffPost Canada. "It also gives a verbal warning -- an automated voice saying 'speed camera ahead' -- when drivers are near a fixed speed camera." From the report: Police in Calgary say the feature is useful to them. "The biggest thing we love ... is we place those (cameras) by collision statistics," said Sgt. Joerg Gottschling of the Calgary Police Service traffic section. "If we do a new site, if we are going to install a new camera, the next site is always selected by the next highest crash site. "Our intersection locations are all determined where we are trying to eliminate collisions."

Gottschling said they've had up to a 50 per cent reduction in collisions in some areas where those cameras are stationed. With Google Maps, he noted, all drivers approaching the fixed camera intersection get the warning. "That camera is only facing one way," said Gottschling. "Let's say it's only facing northbound, but you can approach southbound or eastbound ... you are still going to get Google telling you caution. "So you're going to go slowly and cautiously through there which, lo and behold, is actually what we want." Google said in an email that there will also be an ability for android users to report mobile speed cameras and stationary cameras.

Comments

Calgary cops are AOK

[ghoul]

It seems they are interested in reducing collisions not in increasing revenue.

Re: Calgary cops are AOK

[c6gunner]

Nope, what I'm going to be doing is looking at my speedometer instead of the road because that's what they've trained me to do.

If you are incapable of monitoring your speedometer and the road at the same time, you shouldn't be on the road in the first place. Go take a drivers ed course so they can teach you how to properly scan dash, road, and mirrors.

Re:Calgary cops are AOK

[hawguy]

Nope, what I'm going to be doing is looking at my speedometer instead of the road because that's what they've trained me to do. They've also trained some idiots to break on green lights. So while I'm distracted by my speedo, there's a good chance someone ahead of me is breaking for no reason.

I've never seen anyone brake at a green light at red light camera intersections, but I do see them stop earlier in the yellow, which sometimes causes problems when the car behind them had no intention of stopping, so needs to slam on the brakes to stop before he hits the guy that stopped when the light turned yellow.

It's not a problem for most drivers since if there's room for the car in front of you to stop on the yellow, there's more than enough room for the cars behind them to stop. But apparently some drivers can't even monitor their speed and drive safely, so I'm not surprised that they have trouble with traffic lights.

Re:Traffic cameras to reduce number of collisions?

[SlaveToTheGrind]

Literally came here to say, "I can't wait for the usual cynics to come out of the bushes and moan about how the police must be lying that they actually want to reduce collisions because We All Know it's about the money" -- and lo and behold you were already here.

Re:Traffic cameras to reduce number of collisions?

[Richard_at_work]

Entirely depends on your jurisdiction, and in many places the local police do not get the income from cameras, so those jurisdictions tend to use them as they should be used.

Not every country does it like the US, where traffic police are seen as a revenue source by their management.

Re:WAZE, owned by Google, already does that.

[ceoyoyo]

Waze already does it in Canada too. As does the built-in GPS in my car. I think it's the "Google" part that's new.

Re: Traffic cameras to reduce number of collisions

[c6gunner]

Literally not a single one of the stories provided on that page provides any evidence that cities shortened the lights after installing the cameras. On the contrary, most of them are along the lines of this excerpt:

"Dallas likewise installed the cameras at locations with existing short yellow times. A total of twenty-one camera intersections in Dallas had yellow times below TxDOTâ(TM)s bare minimum recommended amount."

It seems much more likely that - as the police officer in this story suggested - cameras are installed in response to danger. If the people responsible for setting up the lights are incompetent (as several of the stories on your linked page suggest) then some intersections will have shorter lights. Those intersections will be much more likely to have a disproportionate number of accidents. Therefore they will be more likely to receive cameras.

Of course it's stupid to just slap a camera on an intersection without first looking at why so many accidents occur at that location ... but stupidity is common, so why are you assuming malice?

show the accident data?

[hawguy]

Maybe Google should just cut out the middleman and show the accident data directly so drivers know which intersections are the most dangerous.

Re: show the accident data?

[NonFerrousBueller]

"Slow down, dear, other users have only rated this corner three stars!"

FUCK YA CANADA...

[wolfheart111]

Go Canucks :)

Teslas, Drunk as Fuck Mode...

[wolfheart111]

thats all you need :)

Re:Traffic cameras to reduce number of collisions?

[froggyjojodaddy]

There would be no money to grab if drivers obeyed the speed limit.

Re: Traffic cameras to reduce number of collisions

[sinij]

You asked for citations, here are some from CBC (Canadian equivalent to NPR or BBC):

Photo radar under review in Alberta due to widespread misuse
Municipalities go after engineer for speaking up about unsafe amber lights used to maximize red light camera revenue
Senior successfully challenges red light camera ticket after demonstrating it doesn't meet ITE guidelines

Completely unreliable.

[Computershack]

We have it in the UK and in addition to there being lots of fixed cameras not on it it'll warn you of ones on the opposite side of a motorway (freeway) which only detects traffic going the other way and there are false positives too. It is pretty much THE WORST at doing speed camera warnings and if anyone is relying on it to keep their license they may want to think again.