This interview-based report discusses a strategic public-private partnership in British Columbia (BC), Canada, to develop and implement what will become the world's most sophisticated integrated traffic camera operation. This project is a major component of BC's Speed Management Program, and aims to reduce drastically the number of road accident fatalities in BC. In the report, officials of the BC Government, company representatives responsible for the project, and a leading traffic camera expert give their views on the project. Education alone will not achieve the required safety improvements; enforcement will also be essential. The project's use of realtime viewing will enable the system to have higher professional standards. It is estimated that one speed camera will have the impact of 19 traffic operators. Traffic cameras dramatically increase drivers' perception of enforcement, thus decreasing traffic speeds and reducing the number and severity of collisions. The partners believe that a speed management programme should be implemented on a large scale; it is not enough to confine it to experiments or pilot projects.
Abstract