The rollout of Phase 2 of Alberta's SafeRoads plan has been paused for at least three months after citizens pushed back saying this could end their right to fight traffic tickets.
In a joint statement, Alberta's transportation and justice ministers, Rajan Sawhney and Sonya Savage, said Albertans will always have the right to challenge tickets.
"Albertans will always have the ability to dispute fines or make their payments quickly and efficiently," they said. "Our government is committed to ensuring that we fix the very real problem facing our justice system. We need our police to fight crime, not sit in courtrooms and we need our courts to prosecute real criminals."
Highwood MLA RJ Sigurdson said the new policy will modernize the process to reduce the burden on court and police resources while giving Albertans a way to fight their fines quickly and efficiently.
"The aim of any reforms to traffic court will be solely to ensure that court resources are devoted to prosecuting criminals, not administrative haggling with Albertans," said Sigurdson, who chairs a committee on rural crime.
SafeRoads Alberta was launched in December 2020 as a response to the backlogged courtrooms. Phase 1 of the program allowed police to issue impaired driving penalties in roadside checks, getting impaired drivers off roadways immediately.
Sawhney and Savage said this policy is already paying off. Sigurdson echoed this.
"This new system has proven to be successful by reducing 11 per cent of impaired driving cases in criminal court."
Phase 2 is said to further free up police and court resources by managing other traffic infractions, such as speeding and distracted driving.
Training documents released showed Phase 2 shortened the length of time motorists had to fight tickets to seven days and implemented a fee to do so. The documents also showed motorists would also appear before an online adjudicator instead of attending traffic court.
“We have heard the concerns Albertans raised when a training document was reported on," the ministers said. "It’s important that people understand the training document did not reflect what the program is and what the benefits are for Albertans.
“However, we have clearly heard from Albertans who shared their thoughts with us on traffic safety in this province. That is why we are pausing the rollout of Phase 2."
The next 90 to 120 days will be used as a time to consult with and educate Albertans on the proposed changes.
"We will listen to what Albertans have to say and we will share the benefits of these changes with them."
Sigurdson said Albertans will still be able to dispute tickets and choose to be represented by a lawyer when contacting an adjudicator in Phase 2.
"Decisions of SafeRoads Alberta adjudicators are always subject to a review by the court," he said.
"The proposed changes to the system are expected to manage nearly two million traffic tickets a year," he said. "These changes will free up nearly 1,700 days of court time and also eliminate thousands of in-person appearances by Albertans, providing significant savings while freeing up resources to address more serious criminal cases."
This, he said, will build on steps already taken to combat rising crime rates, including those seen in rural areas.
"The issues and concerns raised are being taken seriously by our government and we hope to work with experts to create the best system for Albertans moving forward."
