Noteworthy: Photo radar only a cash cow if we refuse to slow down

By Bruce Penton on November 29, 2023.

Almost guaranteed to generate debate around Alberta is the photo radar announcement last week by the provincial government that certain “cash cow” locations, where more speeders than normal are nabbed by photo radar cameras, will be vacated.

The province says photo radar should be used exclusively for safety and not for cash generation. The first couple of locations to be targeted by this new approach will be the ring roads around Calgary and Edmonton, which will almost certainly turn them into race tracks now that the province says it will turn off its cameras. Personally, I’ve received a couple of photo radar tickets through the years (but none in the last decade) and I’m in favour of them.

The cameras, or at least the thought that a camera might be focusing on your vehicle at any time, tends to slow traffic around the city. And slower traffic means fewer accidents, which means safer streets. So, yeah, don’t complain about that ticket you might have recently received in the mail. Instead, compliment the powers-that-be for making our city a safe place for drivers and pedestrians.

• Medicine Hat’s three craft breweries – Medicine Hat Brewing Company, Hell’s Basement Brewery and Travois Ale Works – must put the Gas City in the upper echelon of breweries per capita, so how long will it take for one of them to come up with a Medicine Hat Tigers-related brew? If they can do it in Brooks – Bandits Brew is produced by Piston Broke Brewing – then it’s got to be just around the corner in Medicine Hat.

• The Tigers’ players might work hard as they chase a Western Hockey League championship, but does anybody work harder on a Tigers’ game night than arena host Jesse Christianson? The enthusiasm he displays makes it easy to tell he loves his job.

• Attending a sports event can be an expensive undertaking, although a family of four can usually attend a Tigers’ home game for under $100, and when you throw in four soft drinks and four hot dogs, it can run a family in the vicinity of $125. Parking is free, thank goodness. A recent NBA study showed that the same purchases – four of the cheapest tickets, four drinks, four hot dogs, plus parking – would cost $745 at a New York Knicks game and $361 at a Raptors’ game in Toronto. The cheapest package in the NBA is $158 in Charlotte.

• Sign at the bottom of the Dunmore Road hill, courtesy of Sign Works: “Things to do today: Get up, survive, go to bed.”

• Here’s a job I wouldn’t want: Finding and euthanizing invasive python snakes in Florida. The New York Times recently ran a feature on the people who do this but because I’m a tightwad and don’t want to pay for the right to get behind the Times’ paywall, the headline was all I could see.

• M&M Food Market does a thriving business at the corner of 13th Avenue and College Drive, and I’m a regular (and satisfied) customer, but the best part about the store is its huge parking lot. Never have to worry about finding a place to park.

• From a Facebook post: “Santa has been reading your posts all year. Most of you are getting dictionaries.”

• The Tiger Woods hype train is barrelling down the track this week, as the 15-time major champion is competing for the first time since withdrawing from the Masters back in April. Soon to be 48, Woods says he is comparatively healthy and fully recovered from his latest surgery.

He will play 72 holes at the tournament he hosts, the Hero World Challenge. Millions of people love Tiger; millions despise him. There’s not much middle ground when you’re talking about one of the most famous athletes in the world. One thing is for sure: More people than normal will be paying at least a little attention to the Hero World Challenge because of his participation.

• Brian Konrad’s ‘Our Town’ features on CHAT-TV are a treat. Having local history beamed into one’s living room on a weekly basis is something few communities in Canada enjoy.

• The Beaverton is a Canadian parody website that doesn’t care who it insults or mocks. It’s especially tough on politicians, all of whom are fodder for ridicule. It’s fake news, of course, but it tells you up front that it’s fake news. Such as this one, a campaign slogan purportedly from Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre: “Justin Trudeau is ruining the country. Vote for me and help me finish the job.”

Bruce Penton is a former News editor who may be reached at brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca

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