Regina OKs new, digital, red light cameras

City council in Regina has given the green light to install new red light cameras, discarding the mostly non-functioning equipment it currently has in favour of a high-tech digital system.

A recent report noted that two of the four existing cameras are not working and the other two only capture a portion of activity at their intersections.

"We have a history of the red light cameras," Regina Mayor Michael Fougere said Monday as council approved the purchase of a new system. "When they were first installed, they were quite effective. So as we were starting to debate, this has been ongoing for a number of years, I think people will be pleased to see we are improving the safety of our streets."

With the approval, a new system — of four cameras — is expected to be in place in 2015.

A review of the program will also take place after three years of the new system.

It's estimated the new digital cameras will cost almost $39,000 — each — per year to operate, more than double the current cost.