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Photo radar contract OK'd by Winnipeg committee

Winnipeg police concede that photo radar has increased the number of rear-end collisions by 15 per cent, but they note that T-bone collisions have gone down by 52 per cent.

Winnipeg is one step closer to having photo radar for another seven years, as a city committee has approved a $20-million contract to keep the service running.

On Monday morning, the city's protection and community services committee approved the contract with ACS Public Sector Solutions to extend photo radar operations until 2020.

St. James-Brooklands Coun. Scott Fielding, who chairs the committee, was the only councillor to vote against it.

Last week, Fielding told CBC News he thinks the $20 million would be better spent on hiring 57 more city police officers.

Winnipeg police Staff Sgt. Rob Riffel said while he knows the photo radar technology has many critics, he doesn't see it that way.

"There's many people in the city that have that thought that photo enforcement isn't a benefit. So I mean, Coun. Fielding is one of those, obviously," Riffel said Monday.

"But I think the statistics bear out the fact that it is a safety initiative, and that's how we see it in the traffic unit."

Riffel conceded that photo radar has increased the number of rear-end collisions by 15 per cent.

But he noted that T-bone collisions — which he said are far more dangerous — are down by 52 per cent.

Riffel insisted that contrary to what a number of drivers think, photo radar is not a cash grab.

"What gets lost on everybody within traditional enforcement? There's fines with traditional enforcement," he said.

"So if we're trying to change driving behaviour, whether it's through traditional enforcement or photo enforcement, there's still fines associated with those offences. So is traditional enforcement a cash grab? I don't get the argument."

The photo radar contract will next go to council's executive policy committee. If approved, then it will go to council as a whole for a final decision.