Radar shows most drivers speed on country roads
Studies of three roads in November and December found up to 67 per cent of vehicles exceeded the limit
If you think most drivers you meet are speeding when you’re travelling the back roads of Trent Hills, you’re probably right and the municipality has the data to prove it. That information is shared with the OPP so it can follow up, so read on to learn about a couple of the bad spots they should be watching now.
Reports presented to Trent Hills Council at its Jan. 9 meeting show drivers are largely ignoring posted speed limits on some concession roads and travelling at up to 120 kilometres per hour in zones posted at 50.
Deputy Mayor Mike Metcalf expressed surprise at just how fast most drivers were going, with up to 60 per cent of drivers going at least 15 kilometres per hour over the posted limit.
In an effort to get information on areas where speeding is believed to be a problem and to provide guidance to the Ontario Provincial Police detachment on where enforcement is needed, the municipality routinely asks Black Cat Radar to install radar devices to capture information on the number of vehicles passing by and their speeds. The data are not used to fine drivers, but to suggest to the OPP where speeding is a problem.
Neil Allanson, Manager of Roads and Urban Services, said the information in the reports to council will be passed on to the OPP officer responsible for speed enforcement.
Radar was set up on Concession 2 East, near Evans Rd. from Dec. 12-19. Of the 1,127 vehicles observed, 688 or 61 per cent, were going at least 15 kmh over the 50 limit. The fastest vehicle was travelling at 120, while the slowest was dawdling at just 12. Not surprisingly, the report suggests this is a high priority for police to perform actual radar enforcement.
From Dec. 20 to Jan. 1 radar was installed on Concession Rd. 6 East near Greenly Rd. It showed that 985 or 59 per cent of the 1,661 vehicles were exceeding the 50 limit by at least 15 kmh. The average speed was 67 kmh and the highest was 110. The peak speeding time was at 12:52 p.m. on Dec. 22, perhaps some last minute Christmas shopping.
From Nov. 21-25 Black Cat monitored the 11 Line in Seymour near Nicholas Rd. It reported that 102 (18 per cent) of the 565 vehicles were going at least 65 in the 50 zone. The average speed was just 51, but the quickest was 87. And one vehicle was only going 11 kmh. Overall, the stretch of road was rated a medium spot to consider enforcement.