Project Swoop Targeting Speeders
Speedwatch Board – image courtesy ICBC
Prince George, B.C. – Volunteers will be manning speed boards, and RCMP are out in force this week as part of “Project Swoop”.
It’s part of a month long campaign to crack down on high risk drivers.
A one-day educational campaign is set for this week in Prince George, with officers from the Prince George Municipal traffic Section, Volunteers from Citizens on Patrol and ICBC setting up at high risk crash locations in the City .
Speed boards will be set up to remind drivers of the speed limits, and those over the limit just might find themselves having a chat with the RCMP.
Anyone who exceeds the speed limit as they pass the speed boards and who are not stopped by the RCMP can expect a warning letter in the mail outlining the observed infraction and the fine amount associated with the infraction.
Enforcement by officers and Speed watch tasks with volunteers will continue to take place for the rest of the month and all through the summer. Please remember to drive accordingly and obey the rules of the road.
Comments
Thank you
What ever happened to the left lane hog law that got passed?
Only on roads with an 80 km an hour speed limit or more unless otherwise posted.
Guess the folks going a few clicks over the speed limit fill the liberal coffers and are a lot easier to catch than distracted drivers and criminals.
Hope they quieten those obnoxious noisy harleybirds. Domano would be a good place to start.
Diesel 4X4 pavement princesses also , IMO even worse than the Harley’s
Start with Foothills
Very good to see. Thank you to all the volunteers (concerned citizens) who will be helping with this campaign.
Today there were lots of people doing 80 or more on Foothills in the 60km zone and 90 and 100 in the 70km zone. I don’t know what these people are thinking. Maybe they’re completely not.
Probably thinking that the speed limit should be raised.
Some rural roads are clocked at 80 while Foothills and PG Pulp Mill Road are clocked at 60. Northwood Pulp Mill Road and Noranda are clocked at 70.
Go figure.
The Motor Vehicle Act is a book, a thick book! It would be nice, very nice, if the RCMP would actually spend some time enforcing the Act and not just a few select items like speeding, seatbelts and distracted driving.
I am not dismissing enforcement of those areas, however you don’t have to look far to see that the average driver is severely lacking in driving knowledge.
While sitting at an intersection, watch how many drivers turn from or into the incorrect lane. Watch how many fail to signal! Watch how many don’t know what an advance green light is for! Watch how many have burned out tail lights, headlights, brake lights and signal lights, if they even know how to use a signal light in the first place!
Never mind the numerous idiots driving around with their dog on their lap! How about the one’s that drive around with windshields covered in frost or snow!
The RCMP seems to ignore these and so many more traffic violations, but woe is the driver who speeds, uses a cell phone or fails to use their seatbelts.
Again, I am not excusing those infractions but what about the rest! Time for the RCMP to enforce the MVA instead of just a few politically correct items!
Rarely, if ever, do I agree with what you write here, but on this issue we’re totally in lockstep. I don’t believe the blitz programs work at all. For your average bozo out there, if they think they can get away with it 99 times out of 100, they’ll do it every time. It’s not the speed, it’s the way people drive. It’s like they’re totally oblivious to anyone else around them.
When I first got my license, it was rare to not at least see a road patrol officer on the beat during a drive. Now you’re lucky to see one every few months. I think it would be totally worth the money to add a few members to the road crew. There is a lot of serious crime in transit out there and a lot of accidents just waiting to happen too. Traffic duty is totally crappy I’m sure, but I think it would pay big dividends.
There was a time when parents or some other individual taught young drivers how to drive. They also taught them the rules of the road, and defensive driving techniques. Furthermore they taught them to respect other peoples property.
These kids then wrote their drivers test, and after a successful road test got their licenses.
Of course the time came when we were told that home teaching was not sufficient, and that we would get better drivers if they were trained by private business. In addition we now have that Government conglomerate ICBC issuing drivers licenses.
My guess is we made a wrong turn along the way in allowing ICBC to get into the driver business.
Perhaps they are more of a problem than a solution.
How can children learn to drive responsibly when they become old enough to drive when irresponsible parents have driven them around for 16 years of their lives demonstrating to them how one can get away with not stopping at stop signs or always driving at 20km/hr over any posted speed limit? Hopefully a proper driving instructor can de-program them and make them safe drivers and obey the rules!
@Palopu
You, like many others on this site appear to view 250 News as a sorce of information, while posting personal opinions. Congrats on keeping up with the times. Unfortunately your post comes across with a “kids these days” feel. How old are you anyhow?
So we now have ICBC, Citizens Patrol, and the RCMP involved in enforcing traffic violators. There was a time when this was the purview of the RCMP only.
Perhaps we should add, the Cadets, Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, and the Rocky Mountain Rangers.
A concerted effort by the RCMP to issue tickets to speeders in the big problem area’s would correct this problem in short order. I have no idea why they don’t just clamp down on speeders, and other infractions. Seems simple enough to me.
We have the police, we have the police cars, we have the technology, and of course we have those who disregard the law. So lets go to work.
Speeding a bit over the speed limit is more like a bylaw infraction and the RCMP are most concerned if you are endangering the public. Crime fighting used to be their job. How about these ‘Citizens on Patrol’ park in front of crack shacks and take pictures of all the customers…
Hart Guy, you nailed it! I’ve said this for years, in fact for so long I am tired of typing it out so I’ll just copy/paste yours instead ;-)
The Motor Vehicle Act is a book, a thick book! It would be nice, very nice, if the RCMP would actually spend some time enforcing the Act and not just a few select items like speeding, seatbelts and distracted driving.
You just mentioned one of the big revenue generators.
I really believe that some of these speeders, and distracted drivers should spend a few days in court.
cool go park a set in some school zones far too many people ignore the limits
Palopu with a score of 1
So we now have ICBC, Citizens Patrol, and the RCMP involved in enforcing traffic violators. There was a time when this was the purview of the RCMP only.
Perhaps we should add, the Cadets, Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, and the Rocky Mountain Rangers.
You forgot the Angry Old Men of 250 News, they are always out there kicking a$$es and taking names, while offering unsolicited opinions.
Hey codger why you here then, welcome to the club?
Sum it up in one word, great revenue tool…photo radar!!
That’s two words …just saying
There won’t be too many young drivers on the road to worry about because ICBC has the insurance rates jacked up so high it is making it impossible for them to purchase unless the parents pay for it. Far too many hoops to jump through in order to get your licence. Nothing but a money grab.
I regularly drive east on 7th from Winnipeg to Victoria in the morning.
Twice this week, a car came driving north on Vancouver and failed to stop at the 4 way stop at 7th.
This morning a driver was coming west on 7th and was stopped at the intersection. As the driver on Vancouver went through the stop sign at say 40 to 50 km/h. I put up my hands signalling to the driver opposite me. He, in turn, signalled back with hands over his eyes.
I see this sort of thing far too often these days. Why? Distracted driver? Blinded driver? Idiot driver?
We need some cameras art stop sign intersections, or volunteers, or police or whatever. Then again how often do we have crashes at such intersections?
Then again, how many accidents are prevented by attentive defensive drivers?
Probably lots.
Sorry but maybe if they enforced speeding on the actual road instead of sitting where the speed limits drop from 80 to 60 that would be a start. I see nothing wrong with the speed trap at the roller dome or Peden Hill as the speed where they radar you is constant, but areas like Walmart or Tyner are just revenue generation tools and nothing to do with actual speed enforcement – trying to catch those that miss the sign by 10 feet. Once you learn the spots they sit you can speed all over town and just watch your foot at the 4 main “blitz” spots.
I live near the Tyner speed change and the blitz there is necessary. Nobody is missing the speed change there by ten feet. They are doing a constant seventy throughout the entire fifty zone and will continue to the highway if not stopped by the light. If you attempt to do the speed limit or just a teeny bit above on the way up (before the speed change), you are tailgated like mad. The more developed the Tyner neighbourhoods become, the busier the pedestrian and bike traffic is along that route. We have kids from our neighbourhood who have to cross Tyner right there to catch the bus to the high school. They don’t even have so much as a marked crosswalk. As much as I would prefer the cyclists and joggers to PLEASE stick to the path, many don’t and there is little or no shoulder in some spots. It’s just not a good place to speed.
You miss my point entirely, have the speed trap a little further down the road and actually catch speeders – catching someone who doesn’t slam on the brakes right at a 20 kmh drop in speed sign is just a money grab.
Good effort by the RCMP! One more thing: Even a 4 lane highway like the Hart does not guarantee driving without stress. Driving in the right hand lane at the speed limit is virtually impossible! One will get tailgated mercilessly, within just a few feet! Becoming an obstacle to the traffic flow is really not an option either. One ends up having to motor along faster than one wants to. A no-win situation.
Re: PrinceGeorge’s tailgaters. That’s unfortunate you let them bully you.
Inevitably, a cop is going to jump out in front of you in a speed trap and nail you and not the troglodyte behind you.
I was taught never to allow myself to break the law to satisfy some jerk. I drive average 50,000kms per year for work. If I allowed myself to be bullied with my km’s chances are I would be swimming in points.
Whenever I am tailgated, I try to relax, shake my head, maintain my maximum 5% over the limit and let them choose to change lanes and pass.
The ones that don’t, sometimes I slowly allow my speed to bleed off until they go around.
A lot of times, they do it without realizing it because they are preoccupied with thoughts unrelated to driving.
Other times, it’s testosterone rage. However, lately I’m seeing women even more aggressive than men.
“I was taught never to allow myself to break the law to satisfy some jerk.”
I was taught that when someone calls someone else a “jerk”, they themselves are jerks.
5% over the limit is still “speeding”, use the “slower traffic keep right” lane and relax
Gopg2015… wow. So if you ask 100 people if tailgaters are jerks… 100/100 would agree.
I thought I posted a rather level headed post… basically saying that some people might be tailgating and not even realize it because they could be preoccupied then is said just maintain and don’t react… like some idiots would spike their brakes etc.
Nonetheless, you somehow projected onto me that I am the jerk for pointing out what is universally jerk behaviour pretty much in the same league as throwing your garbage into the bush because of laziness, or kicking dogs.
One wonders…
“Driving in the right hand lane at the speed limit is virtually impossible”
Very often that is so true. The reason is because there is someone in the left hand lane driving at the same speed which prevents passing. The one in the left lane has the responsibility to pass and then move to the right lane. They also have the initial responsibility to stay in the right lane if they have no intention to pass.
People have an option to drive at the speed they are comfortable with. They also have the responsibility to allow others that freedom.
Basically driving the same speed in the left lane, virtually abreast of the vehicle in the right hand lane can be viewed as a form of bullying, a form of control over others without having the authority to do so.
I agree with you totally! The legal definition of this kind of bullying by hogging a lane and/or tailgating is coercion! Unfortunately it would take enormous police resources to get a handle on this type of harassment and the people know it! That is why they became used to driving like that and they ALWAYS get away with it!
Today “the speed limit” seems to be “going with the flow of traffic”. Young driver tells me that is safer than doing the speed limit. I think that part of the problem is that we have streets that are as wide as highways – studies have shown that wide, “see for miles”, streets cause people to speed. We also have the problem in PG (an other places) that I am a great drivers so I can go the speed I want and you had better get out of my way. Also a concept that I am not breaking the law unless I get caught; maybe that is comes from society ignoring laws they don’t like and passing it onto their children.
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