THUNDER BAY – Crime – Thunder Bay Police officers have been very busy addressing an issue with closed roads, construction zones and parks for the past several days. Police have not updated all the statistics from the weekend’s crime figures yet. Over the weekend, there was an increased patrol presence notable in the downtown core areas, which should result in less crime.
For Thunder Bay Police, in dealing with the aftermath of the flooding, a major issue was drivers ignoring marked road closures.
Roads are closed for a reason
The problem was that a gravel portion of the roadway under Arundel St between Toledo St. and Lyon Blvd was washed out so the only portion that was still there was the asphalt covering the top. This is very dangerous as a vehicle could have broken through the asphalt and fallen several feet, likely severely injuring or killing the driver and occupants. We received numerous complaints about drivers not obeying the road closed signs from city staff and concerned citizens.
Traffic officers went to this location throughout the weekend and issued more then 50 tickets for driving on a closed highway.
Thunder Bay Police, in a media statement issued Monday state that “It would seem to be common sense that if the road is closed with barricades you should not move them, drive over them or go around them but it appears that this logic is missing on many people. There were so many offenders that we could not write tickets to everyone and many turned around and left”.
Officers actually found that some people went through/over the barricades, moved them to get by or squeezed by on the edge of the ditch.
“It also seems that people are forgetting that speeding fines are doubled when you go through a posted construction zone when workers are present,” according to Police.
Eight drivers were ticketed by one officer in the area of the Golf Links Road construction site.
Current River Road Washout
While in the Current River area regarding the road wash-out, the officers noted that vehicle speeds on Lyon Boulevard were much higher than the posted 30 km/hr speed limits. Boulevard Lake is a key recreational center for events that include walking and running, and very likely the most widely used City park for pedestrians, cyclists and families with small children. The posted speed limits are not “suggestions” and are in place for a critical safety issue. At least a dozen drivers were handed speeding tickets over the weekend in the park.
Enforcement will be continuing advise police.
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