Secondary highways from the GTA becoming raceways, says OPP

Speeding on secondary highways leading north from the GTA is becoming a growing concern for the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

“We have seen an increase in people reporting issues and an increase in charges,” said Adam Belanger, community safety and media relations officer with the Grey-Bruce OPP.

“I have seen firsthand the dangerous driving that goes on along Highway 6 and now I am seeing the data and the statistics,” he added.

Belanger was one of several panellists that took part in a virtual town hall meeting that was held on Facebook Live last night to discuss the growing issue of stunt driving along Highway 6 in Grey and Bruce Counties.

Between July 31 and Aug. 3 alone, Grey-Bruce OPP charged 13 motorists with stunt driving on Highway 6. 

In 2019, a total of 190 drivers were charged with stunt driving in the Grey-Bruce jurisdiction.

“We are seeing way too many stunt drivers. This year, we are on track to exceed last year’s number with 165 drivers charged so far, as of a few days ago [Aug. 10],” he explained.

A stunt driving charge is laid when a motorist is caught driving 50 km/h or more over the posted speed limit. It is considered a serious offence, but not criminal.

OPP reps say Highway 6 and 10 have become problem areas. Both highways have a posted speed limit of 80 km/h. To be charged with stunt driving here, a driver would have to exceed 129 km/h.

Stunt driving in Ontario comes with a minimum penalty for a first-time offender of $2,000, up to $10,000.

“Ontario has some of the toughest penalties for extreme speeding and aggressive driving in the world,” said Michael O’Morrow, senior issues advisor with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO). “Section 172 of the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) establishes escalating penalties for drivers who are involved in street racing and aggressive driving behaviours.”

According to O’Morrow, drivers charged with stunt driving may face an immediate seven-day licence suspension and vehicle impoundment, a mandatory court appearance, post-conviction fines of up to $10,000, six demerit points, long-term licence suspensions and up to six months of jail time.

He added drivers can also be charged under Section 130 of the HTA with careless driving and, upon conviction, can face up to a $2,000 fine, six demerit points, suspension of their licence and possible jail time.

“The province recently introduced a new offence for careless driving causing death or bodily harm that may result in a fine of up to $50,000, a five-year licence suspension, and imprisonment up to two years,” O’Morrow said.

He adds police are also capable of laying serious criminal charges under the Criminal Code of Canada, such as dangerous driving or criminal negligence.

“It is important to note that, with respect to the enforcement of these laws, the police act independently when carrying out their duties.” he said.

Insp. Shawn Johnson of the West Region OPP Traffic and Marine department said he receives notifications every day about serious collisions in the region.

“Not all result in death, but they all have a similar factor...they are preventable. Whether it is aggressive driving, speeding, lack of attention or alcohol,” Johnson said.

“We are also looking at who the people are that are travelling through these areas, who is being charged with these offences and where they are from. It isn’t just about enforcement, we need to know who the target audience is,” Johnson continued.

Inspt. Paul Schambers with Grey-Bruce OPP agrees, saying local officers are using all the tools they currently have, and that, education to the target audience, outside of the Grey-Bruce region, is necessary.

“From a local perspective, we are doing all that we can and using the resources we have,” said Schambers. “We will not be able to enforce our way out of this.”

Carmen De Leon, a traffic engineer with MTO, says the ministry is aware of the growing issue and has been taking steps to improve surveillance and enforcement in recent years, including establishing an aircraft patrol along Highway 6 in 2018.

“I believe this is the first two-lane highway with aircraft enforcement. All other locations are in 400-series freeways,” De Leon said.

She explains that the MTO has also added more signage, extended no-passing zones and conducted traffic counts.

“In 2019, the ministry completed a traffic operations study of 15 intersections along Highway 6 in the Tobermory-area. Recommendations from this study are currently under consideration,” added O’Morrow.

But, OPP reps, government officials and local residents say it's not enough and there needs to be more action taken to slow traffic moving north from the GTA.

“This is a really significant issue in our backyard,” said Bill Walker, MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound.

"I have gone to the Attorney General and the Solicitor General looking for other ways and things we can do. The last number of weekends have just been unacceptable and we need to find other ways to deal with this,” Walker continued.

According to De Leon, the MTO has assessed Highway 6 for passing lanes, but says it was determined that the highway had “plenty of passing opportunities and it does not qualify for the implementation of passing lanes.”

“I don’t think everything is set in stone because there is the engineering judgement that comes into play, but so far, this is where we are,” she said.

In December 2019, the MTO implemented regulations to allow municipalities to use automated camera technology – under certain conditions – to deter speeding.

However, under the current regulations, automated speed enforcement (ASE) systems can only be deployed in designated school zones and community safety zones with a speed limit under 80 km/h.

“The ministry’s decision to allow the implementation of ASE in school zones and community safety zones but not on highways is based on the risk that speed poses to vulnerable road users in these municipal areas,” O’Morrow explained.

“At this time, the ministry has no plans to expand the use of ASE to areas outside of community safety zones and school zones,” he stated.

O’Morrow adds that the ministry is constantly reviewing its policies and procedures, like passing lanes and rumble strips, to “ensure it is employing the best approaches to uphold road safety.”

The Town of the Blue Mountains (TBM) councillor and chair of the transportation committee, Rob Sampson, believes part of the safety issue is due to the disconnect from one jurisdiction to another.

“We need to make transportation seamless as it relates to any municipal or county border,” Sampson says. “We need to have a transportation plan that actually structures and connects to whatever the GTA has going on. That person driving that van doesn’t know that they have gone through three different jurisdictions as they travelled from the GTA to here, it is irrelevant to them.”

Sampson says he and TBM council will be pushing for a regional transportation plan, where the main arteries leading north out of the GTA will be closely examined for safety and efficiency of use.

“We are going to be demanding a regional look at this, and we are petitioning the province,” Sampson said. “I want to see the Minister come up and see for herself what is happening here. We need to get this done sooner rather than later.”

In the meantime, Insp. Schambers is calling on members of the public to assist the local OPP in clamping down on dangerous driving.

“If we can get the community to keep supporting us and letting us know where the issues are, we are in this together,” he said. “We can’t be everywhere but with the public's assistance, we can certainly focus on the areas that are problem spots.”

To report speeding or dangerous driving, call 1-888-310-1122 or your local OPP detachment. Should you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit a secure web-tip at www.cstip.ca, where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.