Days after a violent road rage incident broke out in a Bradford neighbourhood, police are stepping up enforcement and are shocked by what they’re seeing.
South Simcoe Police Const. Paul Catling was out on Tuesday with a radar gun in hand to find speeders and aggressive drivers. His focus was the area around the 9th Line and the 5th Side Road.
“One vehicle today was over 50 km/h over the speed limit,” he says.
Catling ticketed 20 drivers, including six during the morning rush hour. One of those incidents could have been deadly.
“The vehicle passed a motorcycle and another vehicle while travelling 44 km/h over the posted limit this morning, just prior to a school bus stopping to pick up several children,” he says.
Police say more than five people have died from crashes in Bradford this year. Residents along the roads used to bypass the highway say it's getting out of control.
“They can’t be out here all the time, but the more they can be out here, the more they can get them slowed up I would think,” says resident Bill Vernon. “They’re really driving recklessly here.”
On Friday, a 51-year-old man was rushed to hospital with life threatening head injuries. He was involved in a road rage incident at the very intersection that was being patrolled on Tuesday.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
South Simcoe Police say they couldn’t believe the number of aggressive and speeding drivers here along the 9th Line.
They’ll be stepping up enforcement in the coming days and weeks, as residents push for some kind of traffic light.
