Traffic Tickets

What can I expect at a Traffic Court Hearing? is a page on the Provincial Court of British Columbia web site. It's a short overview of the process for someone that has never disputed a violation ticket before and doesn't have the time to view a trial in order to gain experience ahead of time.

The case of R v Robinson involves disobeying a traffic control device at the intersection of Maclure Road and Babich Street in Abbotsford. In this instance, the traffic control device was the speed limit sign for the road that Mr. Robinson was driving on. The ticket alleged that he had failed to obey a traffic control device, but said nothing further.

This article was written in May of 2015 when there was a brief flurry in the media about the implementation of electronic traffic tickets and dispute adjudication replacing traffic court. Amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act to allow these changes were made in 2012, but fast forward to March 2022 and no changes to traffic ticket disputes have occurred.

In the past, if you were curious to find out about the traffic tickets issued by B.C. law enforcement officers you could either read a PDF document published by ICBC or make a request for specific information from their stored data. The trouble was, sometimes those information requests took a significant period of time to fill and you had to know how to manipulate the information once you had received it.

QUESTION: I am aware of the sign posted at the construction sites about double the fine, but have been told that the fine incurred is actually excessive speed if the speed is too high. Is there an actual regulation about double the fine or is this sign  just a deterrent?

The case of R v Min arises from an intersection safety camera ticket. A 2015 Audi was photographed traveling through an intersection in Vancouver at a speed between 41 and 60 km/h over the 50 km/h speed limit. Le Min, the owner of the Audi was issued a violation ticket which she disputed. The matter was heard in traffic court where she pled guilty to the offence.

Question: I filed for disclosure and received a call today from the traffic court registry. They told me that the Crown Counsel is not involved and that only the officer who issued the ticket can provide disclosure. I requested the officers evidence and notes the same day I filed for dispute and never received a response.

I refused to sign the traffic ticket that I got for speeding last week. Does that mean this ticket is invalid and I don't have to pay it? Questions like this one are common from readers who were not happy following their roadside encounter with traffic enforcement. However, a violator's signature is not required to make the ticket valid.

Daniel Prediger was issued a traffic ticket for speeding at Isle Pierre and appeared in traffic court represented by counsel before Judicial Justice Adair to dispute the allegation. The lawyer raised two issues, the officer using a memory aid to assist in testimony and what evidence needs to be led by the Crown before the court can rely on a speed measuring device reading.

This is a case where Timothy Drewcock appealed his conviction for speeding in traffic court. His position is that the JJP should not have admitted police radar evidence because there was no evidence explaining when and how the radar instrument used in the case was tested and what tests were made.