New “ground-breaking” research reveals
ALL median warning signs preceding camera intersections have been intentionally removed.
WiseUpWinnipeg demands a credible explanation from the City of Winnipeg.
April 1, 2011 – Winnipeg, Mb. After observing a disturbing trend of what appears to be intentionally inadequate speed-reduction signs preceding camera intersections in Winnipeg (i.e. Main at Logan and Grant at Wilton) compared to signage throughout the rest of the city, WiseUpWinnipeg has discovered even more physical evidence to verify that the City of Winnipeg is willfully engaged in a “Calculated Campaign to Maximize Violations”.
WiseUpWinnipeg.com technical affairs director, Mr. Chris Sweryda, set out to painstakingly chart signage patterns at all camera-intersections in Winnipeg. What he discovered was staggering – prior to 2009, all 32 camera-intersections that involved a median to divide traffic had two “photo-enforcement ahead” warning signs posted, one on the median and another parallel on the curb-side, to optimize visibility for driver awareness and compliance.
Provencier and Aulneau
Before
**before images from Google Maps
However, subsequent to the summer of 2009, each and every one of those locations had their median warning sign removed. Some “before and after” photos are shown in this post, however a complete photo gallery of all 32 median locations can be found at:
http://photos.wiseupwinnipeg.com
You can also download a 5mb pdf document containing all of the different intersection photos by clicking the link below.
City of Winnipeg Removes Intersection Camera Warning Signs.
After
Regardless of whether dual warning signs are required by law or not, their removal raises some very serious ethical and regulatory questions about the rationale to remove anything that would enhance driver awareness. “If the City had already invested the time and cost to install the dual warning signs, what reason could possibly justify the removal of any of them, let alone ALL of them?” asks Todd Dube, co-founder of WiseUpWinnipeg.com. “This is irrefutable evidence of an ulterior agenda by the City to entrap motorists through reduced awareness tactics as part of a desperate strategy to increase revenue. This abuse of public trust must stop immediately – it’s as though the photo-enforcement program is being operated by a gaming corporation rather than the Winnipeg Police Service,” Dube concludes.
In each set of “before and after” photos it can be clearly seen that the median signs have been extracted from the ground or detached from the pole, leaving only a single and often inadequate curbside sign – even on roads with multiple lanes.
Dwindling net profits per camera over the last few years are forcing city traffic engineers to “pull out all the stops” to wring-out more dollars from the pockets of Winnipeg vehicle owners.
“This is yet another devious tactic in a long line of tricks by the City to rake in profits,” explains Larry Stefanuik, co-founder of WiseUpWinnipeg.com. “First it was the short and dangerous amber-times, then came the 250% increase per fine and the lowering of speed tolerances to net more “speeders”, then mobile enforcement of construction zones with no construction workers and school zones not adjacent to schools, then improperly erected reduced-speed signs and now the coupe de grace: deliberately reducing warning signage.”
Century and Silver
Before
After
“The City of Winnipeg’s addiction to photo-enforcement revenue is out of control and requires an immediate intervention by the provincial government in the name of true safety and justice,” concludes Larry Stefanuik, retired WPS Traffic Division officer.
The above was issued as a press release to local and international media sources on April 1, 2011.
This is definately NOT an April Fools Joke.
Let’s hear and see your comments!
Larry Stefanuik
Wise Up Winnipeg
The deliberate actions of the City of Winnipeg to increase the probable violation rate by removing existing warning signs for the ca$h regi$ter$ (sometimes called ticket cameras) SHOULD convince any rational person that the goal for the program is $$$$$$$$$, not safety.
It is truly despicable, and makes a complete mockery of claiming that traffic laws and enforcement regimens are for safety purposes in Winnipeg. They are for $$$$$$$$ – first, last and always.
Citizens need to change the officials in charge and replace them with officials that put safety first.
Regards, James C. Walker, National Motorists Association, http://www.motorists.org, Ann Arbor, Michigan USA
No wonder I hate it here so dam much…..its nothing but a money grabbing city for Sam and his band of rip off artists…I can’t wait to finish off my working life here so I can move on to someplace where I’ll get more for my taxpayer buck. Most people I talk with in my military community feel the same way. It was a big mistake me moving here, one I truly regret.
I agree with you 100% Larry. Please people of Winnipeg, contact the Mayor’s Office (311) or contact your City Councilor. If people don’t start standing up for what is right then the City will continue to walk all over us. Remember who pays their wages!
They work for the citizens of Winnipeg.
Anything for a BUCK.
But than why the suprise. When you have Italian towns and scamera vendors rigging the devices to read higher. This is just another example of the fact that photo enforcement is NOT a safety device.
It is a ATM machine.
Safety is pulling over dangerous drivers, not sending bills out!
Photo enforcement is a black eye to the citizens and city of Winnipeg. Regardless of the economic benefit to city coffers, is this really the type aggravation we want to subject citizens and visitors to? Photo enforcement is unethical, unfair and overly punitive. Minimum fines now start around $280. Imagine the hardship that imparts on the lower income, students, immigrants and single mothers.
Look at the big picture. The aggravation outweighs the benefits. Accidents have proven to increase at some radar sites. Listen to the people, improve the image of our city AND BAN PHOTO RADAR!
i have a simple solution…how about people stop being cry babies and just slow down? in my opinion, the photo radar should be set up anywhere the city sees fit to without having to have it be in a school/construction zone, with signs posted…if people wouldn’t speed, there would be no problem…morons that speed and get caught, should get a ticket…at least…they are breaking the law, plain and simple…all you are trying to do stefanuik, is to make people believe that you are their saviour and out for the greater good…you are no better then any scheister lawyer challenging the criminal code and delaying justice and handcuffing law enforcement, which i believe you were back in the day, weren’t you…quit blowing smoke up people caboose and get a life for christmas…i would rather some heavy footed moron pay into the city and provincial bank accounts, then for me to pay it in the form of more taxes…it is a revenue generator, no kidding…took you this long to figure it out? that’s why there are fines for hta offenses, instead of greeting cards and free bon bons when people get pulled over or a ticket in the mail…very simple solution…just slow down!!!
I posted Jeff’s comment so we wouldn’t be accused of being biased…..after all we are not CJOB who screen their callers to their benefit and then rush to disconnect you when they figure out who you are. Ok Jeff, let me ask you this, are you saying then you support the taking down of signs that were helping to reduce violations? You would rather have someone continue speeding to the intersection and go past the camera (that doesn’t stop the vehicle) and continue speeding…….this improves safety how? This has nothing to with being a savior etc Jeff and you know it, there is no justice here that is being curtailed. We’re not trying to let the “bad guys” get away with anything. Handcuffing law enforcement has nothing to do with this issue. Guess what Jeff, your taxes in the next couple of years are going to go up because as less and less tickets are generated, the City has to find a way to pay the camera company $5 million a year. Why? Because they got tricked into signing a flat rate contract, so now tickets can never be allowed to go down. – Larry (Master of blowing smoke up people’s cabooses ha ha)
Also Jeff, you may want to check out this link……it’s from the WPS website…..scroll down to “Signs of Safety” Gee wizz looks like those signs they removed!!!!! Fancy that!
http://www.winnipeg.ca/police/safestreets/educational_campaigns/index.stm
Thanks for posting this article. I am definitely tired of struggling to find relevant and intelligent commentary on this subject. Everyone nowadays goes to the very far extremes to either drive home their viewpoint of that everybody else in the globe is wrong. Thanks for your consise and relevant insight.
What a great resource!
I request more people would write sites like this that are actually profitable to read. With all the fluff floating round on the net, it is rare to pore over a place like yours instead.
I would like to know why the city of winnipeg places photo radar in school zones on a weekend? Clearly there is no school in operation on a weekend but they slyly continue to place these traps in school zones. Verennes school on St Anne’s. Another is on Southglenn at H.S Paul school.
Why is this allowed? Gee..just another money grab!!!
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there is a camera at Dalhousie N/Pembina that flashes randomly
also right turn is permitted on red