The city of Calgary is launching a new traffic safety team to focus on enforcing laws around speeding, noisy vehicles and other driving infractions.
Their focus will be making sure the rules of the road are respected, especially in residential areas, and they’ll be issuing tickets and fines to drivers who don’t.
The team of eight peace officers and two sergeants were introduced to the public at a press conference Thursday morning.
The city of Calgary’s new traffic safety team includes 8 officers and 2 sergeants who will work in pairs.
Global News
They will work closely with other organizations such as the Calgary Police Service, Calgary Mobility Services and school boards in the city to decide where their enforcement efforts are most needed and to educate drivers and other Calgarians about traffic safety bylaws and safe-driving practices.
They’ll work mainly in residential areas, around schools and playground zones, work in pairs, have body-worn cameras and will be identifiable by their vehicles, said Bradley Johnson, an inspector with emergency management and community safety for the city.
“Each vehicle has traffic written on both sides in white lettering inside the blue stripe that runs along it. These units also have their emergency light bars placed on the side, but retain similarities to our peace officer vehicles operating currently today on the roads,” said Johnson.
The city of Calgary’s new traffic safety officers will drive vehicles that are similar to the existing vehicles peace officers are using.
Global News
“These officers will be primarily be engaging in speeding enforcement, static and mobile, with their authority under the provincial traffic safety act.”
They won’t carry guns, but will call the Calgary police for help on any criminal matters.
“If our member is attending and we pull over an intoxicated driver or potentially an intoxicated driver, we’d be notifying the Calgary Police Service for their support and attendance,” said Johnson.
The traffic safety officers will focus their efforts on residential areas, especially around school zones and playgrounds.
Global News
“This will take a lot of pressure off the (CPS) traffic units. Our members at the moment are pretty stretched,” said Andy Woodward, acting inspector of the CPS traffic unit.
The CPS photo radar vehicles, with the big “Drive Safe” decals on them, will also remain on the road.
The Calgarians that Global News spoke with said more enforcement is needed.
“I actually do call on a lot on people for, like, reckless driving, drunk driving. I’ve seen it like 7 a.m. in the morning, people driving crazy. It’s, like, no care in the world,” said Omar Abu.
“Like I can tell you one right off the bat — Centre Street, crossing 40 Avenue and 32 Avenue, it’s a big playground zone and I see people speeding through it all the time, but there’s never a cop car there, so I think it’s a good idea.”
“I know a young boy who was hit a couple weeks ago in a school zone,” said Tessa Holm. “People have just a lack of awareness when it comes to slowing down in school zones — I’ve seen that myself as a pedestrian.”
Calgarians can expect to see the members of the team start enforcing traffic bylaws starting the first week of April 1st, while plans to start enforcing the city’s vehicle noise bylaw are still in the works.
