As students head back to school, York Regional Police were out in Newmarket this morning to remind drivers and pedestrians about the rules of the road as part of the annual Operation A.B.C: always be careful.
During the campaign, which runs across York Region until Sept. 30, Const. Amy Boudreau said during officers will be highly visible in school zones and community safety areas "refreshing everybody’s memory. Sometimes people can get complacent, plus we’ve had COVID the last two years, so there’s been some inconsistencies. So just reminding everyone that school’s back in full force, we’re going to have higher levels of pedestrian traffic."
Officers started patrolling for speeders before 7 a.m. Sept. 7 at the intersection of Bathurst Street and Keith Avenue. Boudreau said the area was chosen for a number of reasons.
“We have two different schools, both a Catholic and a public school, and it’s one of the main arteries where a lot of vehicles will travel and their speed can be a factor,” she said. “Within the last year alone, we’ve had just over 630 highway traffic tickets that were given out in this area.”
With hundreds of tickets issued, she said its an indication that drivers aren't obeying the rules of the road there, which is why they want to have a high presence.
“Nobody wants a ticket and we don’t want to give them out but we have to ensure that everyone’s safe and that’s our No. 1 priority, community safety, so we’ll be out here,” Boudreau said.
Drivers stopped for speeding today were primarily handed postcards about road safety in lieu of a ticket, however some tickets were issued, especially through the school zone.
Before and after school, a crossing guard is stationed at the intersection. Paul Blight has been working this same corner for 17 years now. In that time he said he has seen the traffic get a lot heavier, especially with construction vehicles and trucks using it as a bypass around town.
He also said he has seen several accidents in his time, especially “a lot of rear-enders.”
Blight primarily works on the south side of the intersection, helping both adults and kids cross and ensuring that drivers turning onto Bathurst from either of the surrounding neighbourhoods are stopping for pedestrians.
His message to all drivers is to slow down.
"Everybody’s just rushing. I think there’s a complete lack of courtesy, so that comes into play," he said. "We all make mistakes and can get a bit distracted but there’s no reason for somebody hitting somebody in a crosswalk."
Boudreau said its important for drivers to slow down but there is also a shared responsibility between all road users, including cyclists and pedestrians.
“Make sure that you’re being seen when you’re crossing the street, looking both ways, not running across the street, not riding your bike in the intersection," she said, adding that you should also put your devices away and look up.
Operation A.B.C. will continue throughout the month and will primarily focus on education but Boudreau said officers will do more enforcement later in the month.