Radar Guns to Be Used On Resource Roads

Thursday, January 08, 2009 01:12 PM

Sunshine Coast Forest District compliance and enforcement technician Maurice Potesta shows Minister Bell the speed readout of a radar gun. (photo courtesy Ministry of Forests and Range)

Radar guns will now be used to monitor and enforce safety on all provincial Forest Service Roads.

Minister of Forests and Range, Pat Bell, made the announcement today "Better speed enforcement on B.C.'s 59,000-kilometre network of Forest Service roads means more drivers returning home safely at the end of the workday," said Bell. "Expanding the use of radar guns is another step toward improving safety for forest workers and the public."

The ministry has purchased six new radar guns, for a total to 10, giving all three forest regions an additional two radar guns each. The ministry will then work in co-operation with the RCMP to train two to three Compliance and Enforcement Officers per district, for each of the 29 forest districts, in their proper use.

In conjunction with radar guns, the ministry will also place three speed boards, one per region, in different locations around the province to increase driver's awareness of their speed. The program is supported by the RCMP, ICBC and Conservation Office Service.

"Initially, the main focus is to improve compliance and safe driving practices through education and awareness," said Bell. "But make no mistake, officers are empowered to give tickets and chronic, repeat offenders could be subject to fines of up to $1 million for speeding
and dangerous driving on a Forest Service road.

"The maximum speed limit on our forest service roads is either as posted or 80 kilometres an hour, and that limit is there for everyone's safety," said Bell. "This is particularly true for recreational users and smaller vehicles. The rules for Forest Service roads apply to all
users."

Previously, speed enforcement tended to be localized and focused on high risk, high traffic roads. However, following a pilot project last summer in Powell River, ministry Compliance and Enforcement Officers will now practice speed enforcement on a daily basis, province-wide.

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Posted on Thursday, January 08, 2009 01:12 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: lostfaith on January 8 2009 2:03 PM

So when a speeding driver out on a logging road refuses to stop for a Forest service employee who is "empowered to give tickets" is that forest service employee going to chase that driver down and............ I'm all for safety in the woods but it isn't speed that is causing these incidents, it's the idiots that do not pay attention to what the hell they are doing that cause the problems. You can't tax stupidity but speeders are fair game.

This is not about saving lives and the workers getting home safe, it is clearly an excuse to help refill government coffers.

Posted by: MrPG on January 8 2009 2:08 PM

No, you can't stop the idiots, but a lot of accidents happen because people are over-driving the condition of the roads, which are often poor.

But like most speed traps, they'll probably pick some wide open straightaway where they know it'll be an easy ticket and issue them there.

Posted by: seamutt on January 8 2009 2:11 PM

fines of up to $1 million for speeding ?????

Posted by: lostfaith on January 8 2009 2:49 PM

MrPG there is no such thing as an accident.
Idiots that crash call them accidents. LOL

The word accident implies no one or no thing is to blame for an incident.

Posted by: MrPG on January 8 2009 3:28 PM

I agree with you. I should have used the word 'incident' but it would have sounded funny.

Posted by: acrider54 on January 8 2009 5:40 PM

Lets get them in our driveways too. Liberals are sure after every nickle they can get for 2010

Posted by: MrPG on January 8 2009 5:57 PM

You must have a pretty long driveway if you can speed on it.

Posted by: Mercenary on January 8 2009 6:25 PM

Most log trucks I come across these days have their contractor number plate prominently displayed on the front of their trucks. Plenty of them also have the name of the company on the doors as well. MOF workers would only need to get that info to issue a speeding ticket rather than engage in a high risk pursuit.

We have speed enforcement on many of the oil patch roads I work on. If a driver is caught speeding on these roads he is termiated immediately. Also chronic offending companies are banned from the roads entirely.

Posted by: lost it all on January 8 2009 8:43 PM

Mr Bell and the licencees of the province are determined to blame log haul safety solely on the shoulders of the log hauler.
In 25 years I have hauled logs very little change in the conditions in which we haul logs has changed.
The biggest change I have seen is the effort made by the organizations and people who have the power for real change are getting even more determined to prosecute the log hauler than ever before. Mercenary mentions the identification plate that is displayed on the front of most log trucks, can anyone tell me of any purpose this plate has other than to identify a truck for prosecution of some offence he needs to be identified for?

Mr Bell the way we haul logs in this province needs to be looked at and real change has to be done in order to really save lives in this industry. The solution to safety and saving log truck drivers lives is not thru prosecution alone.

Posted by: lostfaith on January 8 2009 10:46 PM

Lost it all, if I may add, SPEEDING is not the problem out there.
The lack of paying attention to the job at hand IS the problem.
Untill people wack their heads against the wall and learn how to really pay attention, we will never make things better out there.
Lack of attention is the problem, PERIOD.

Posted by: Harbinger on January 8 2009 11:06 PM

Tasers to follow, eventually?

Posted by: Arthur Williams on January 9 2009 11:03 AM

It probably costs more to enforce speed laws than the tickets generate. This isn't a cash grab. It's about letting people know that the law still applies when you're off the pavement.