Road safety funding will increase safety and improve services

British Columbians will soon benefit from greater efficiency, reduced backlogs and better services thanks to stable investments in road safety.

Budget 2022 commits $9.5 million for fiscal year 2022-23 to continue to modernize RoadSafetyBC, support law enforcement and community partners, and create safer roads.

“Making sure this funding for road safety measures is available makes our roads safer and gives people easier and more efficient digital services,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “Automated policy enforcement through intersection safety cameras at accident-related locations and unsafe speeds has broad support as it changes driver behaviors and reduces potentially tragic outcomes.”

Budget 2022 includes funding for the following RoadSafetyBC initiatives:

• Intersection Safety Camera (ISC) Programwhich features speed enforcement technology that provides robust and reliable 24/7 automated intersection security enforcement at high-risk intersections in British Columbia.
• Driver medical fitness transformation projectwhich aims to modernize BC’s driver fitness process over the coming year, including through automation, electronic driver medical forms and streamlined case management.
• Road Safety Initiativewhich develops digital roadside tools, such as electronic traffic enforcement and online fine payment, making it easier for citizens to access services.

Key changes to the Driver Medical Fitness Program will also improve services: an online self-service tool for physicians; a streamlined process for completing and submitting documentation; and shorter processing times. In addition, ICBC and RoadSafetyBC call centers will have better access to information to better support people. These upgrades will reduce backlogs and get unsafe drivers off British Columbia’s roads sooner.

Fast facts:

• British Columbia’s riskiest intersections have had automated speed enforcement for two years.
• The last of 35 high-risk intersections to be equipped with automated speed enforcement was activated in Nanaimo in September 2020.
• Ticketing data collected at these locations shows clear improvements in road safety.
• Enforcement appears to be changing driver behavior at high-risk intersections across the province.
• In 2021, 46,700 prompt tickets were issued across the province, up from 72,546 in 2020.
• People are benefiting from the ability to make fine payments online: 59% of ISC fines were paid online in 2021.
• British Columbians strongly support the ISC program, with 77% supporting red light cameras and 72% supporting high-risk intersection cameras (ICBC Poll, Fall 2021).

Learn more:

BC Road Safety Strategy 2025: A Collaborative Framework for Road Safety:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/driving-and-cycling/roadsafetybc/strategy

RoadSafetyBC:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/driving-and-cycling/roadsafetybc/about

Information about ISC:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/driving-and-cycling/roadsafetybc/intersection-safety-cameras

ISC’s 2021 Annual Report and ISC’s statistics are available in the BC Data Catalog:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/driving-and-cycling/roadsafetybc/intersection-safety-cameras/statistics

Interactive map showing all speed camera locations at intersections in British Columbia:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/driving-and-cycling/roadsafetybc/intersection-safety-cameras/where-the-cameras-are

Information on the medical fitness of the driver:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/driving-and-cycling/roadsafetybc/medical-fitness