THUNDER BAY — City police made use of drones in a traffic enforcement blitz on Dawson Road on Wednesday, resulting in a dozen charges against commercial vehicles, as well as other violations.
The Thunder Bay Police Service said the blitz was conducted in response to persistent safety concerns from the public over the roadway, which turns into Highway 102.
It captured alleged offences including 10 instances of commercial vehicles following too closely and one passenger vehicle going 117 kilometres per hour in a 70 km/h zone, among other charges.
The blitz comes weeks after a transport truck crashed into the backyard of a home on Dawson Road between Hilldale Road and East Avenue after allegedly failing to stop for a red light.
Members of the TBPS’s traffic unit placed markers spaced 60 metres apart along a stretch of Dawson between Hazelwood Drive and Hunter Lane on Wednesday to aid in the operation.
The markers made it clear in bird’s eye footage shot by a police drone on Wednesday when commercial vehicle operators were following too closely.
It is an offense under the Highway Traffic Act for a commercial vehicle like a transport truck to follow another vehicle within 60 metres or less while travelling at 60 km/h or faster on a highway.
Additional officers conducted speed enforcement along the same stretch of roadway using LIDAR systems.
“These methods of traffic enforcement are not unheard of, but was a unique way to tackle ongoing traffic issues on a roadway that is known to have ongoing issues involving commercial vehicles,” the police said in a release.
All in all the blitz resulted in the following charges being laid:
• 10 Commercial Motor Vehicle – Follow Too Closely
• Commercial Motor Vehicle with no Valid Operator’s Registration (CVOR)
• Stunt Driving (passenger vehicle travelling 117 km/h in a 70 km/h zone)
• Speeding (Passenger vehicle travelling 109 km/h in a 70 km/h, which is one km/h away from being considered a Stunt Driving offence)
• Commercial Motor Vehicle with Obstructed View
• Numerous speeding tickets
