New Glasgow Regional Police’s traffic unit says excessive speed is one of the biggest violations of the Motor Vehicle Act that they see. Pictured is Const. Graham Purvis.
Const. Ken MacDonald said each area of the province has different complaints they hear the most related to traffic, and for this area it is non-compliance with the posted speed limit, as well as signs – not stopping at a stop sign or light, for example.
Const. Graham Purvis, who works for the traffic unit of NGRP, said there isn’t just one area of the town he could pinpoint as being bad for speeders, but he did note that East River Road is one of the busiest areas and therefore sees its fair share.
He notes it also depends on the time of year, with officers noticing more traffic on Little Harbour Road in the summer as well as Trenton’s Park Road. He listed the Trenton connector as another area where it’s common to see people not abiding by the limit.
Distracted driving is another issue the traffic division is trying to combat. “It’s getting better, but we’d like to eliminate it completely,” MacDonald said.
Education and enforcement are equally important when it comes to cutting down on Motor Vehicle Act violations, both officers said, which is why they often hand out information at checkpoints when new legislation is introduced and get their message out there during events like Police Week which runs May 15 to 21.
MacDonald said their priorities include reducing impaired driving by drugs and alcohol, eliminating texting and driving (and other forms of distracted driving), improving the use of restraints such as seatbelts and the proper use of car seats, cutting down on speeding and increasing pedestrian safety – all of which have an impact on traffic related injury and death.
They’ll be hosting an open house at their office on Park Street today (Friday) from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
