Some residents in Barrhaven say they’re tired of vehicles ripping down the main drags, treating them like their own personal racetracks. And their local city councillor is calling for stronger penalties.
Last Friday, in an operation targeting a few major roads in the south Ottawa suburb, Ottawa police netted 16 drivers for speeding. Five of them were clocked going well over the speed limit along Strandherd Drive and Limebank Road; one was recorded travelling at 181 km/h in a 70 km/h zone.
Police also charged seven drivers for having problem mufflers or none at all.
Another blitz in Orléans Saturday night caught four stunt drivers.
“It does turn into the Fast and Furious, especially on the weekends in the summer here in Barrhaven. It is a massive problem. It’s been going on for years,” said Barrhaven West Coun. David Hill, who singled out Strandherd Drive as a “racer’s paradise.”
He said people living nearby are fed up.
“I’ve heard a lot of frustration about the fact that it just keeps happening over and over and over again, and residents haven’t been seeing an appropriate response,” Hill said. “If we just had a little bit more presence, I think people would be more compliant with our current laws.”
Some residents told CBC the problem isn’t limited to weekends.
“It happens pretty much every night of the week,” said Kerri Seaver, who lives in the area. “It’s upsetting because we have to get up to go to work in the morning, so we don’t want to be disturbed at 2, 3 o’clock in the morning.”
Sandra Noel, who also lives near Strandherd Drive, agreed the speeding happens almost daily during the summer months.
“It’s frustrating that these people really don’t care about the impact that they’re having on the community,” she said.
The residents told CBC they would like to see more enforcement as a deterrent.
Hill wants changes to Highway Traffic Act
Hill did praise police for stepping up enforcement in the area but said more needs to be done, including harsher penalties for stunt driving and repeat offences under Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
Right now, drivers caught stunt driving and street racing face:
- An immediate 30-day licence suspension.
- An immediate 14-day vehicle impoundment.
- A minimum fine of $2,000 and a maximum of $10,000.
- A jail term of up to six months.
- Six demerit points.
- Upon conviction, a mandatory driver improvement course.
- Further licence suspensions following initial and subsequent convictions.
Hill said he’s been speaking with local MPP Lisa MacLeod and Ontario’s Solicitor General Michael Kerzner about making those penalties stronger.
He also said he wants more enforcement of noise laws, such as a speed camera that can measure decibel levels.
“If a motorbike comes by here with a modified muffler at 3:30 in the morning, it’s gonna wake up 3,500 people,” he said. “So, that’s unacceptable … we need to do better.”
He points to sound radar technology tested in Paris in recent years that uses a sensor and multiple microphones to pinpoint the source of an ear-splitting modified muffler, allowing police to fine the driver.
While changes won’t happen overnight, Hill said he hopes they happen as quickly as possible following a study of what works best.
“Clearly what we have right now is not adequate,” he said.