As part of ongoing efforts to keep Lincoln’s roads safe, a safety blitz was held recently in response to the community’s concern about a jump in commercial motor vehicle traffic in core areas and neighbourhoods.

Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton said council “recognizes” the need to balance community and road safety with the movement of goods across Lincoln and Niagara to support the local economy. She said joint enforcement initiatives, like the April 20 blitz, are reassuring and approach community safety through the same lens.

WHAT WAS THE FOCUS OF THE BLITZ?

According to the town, the focus is to ensure compliance with road safety standards through an in-depth vehicular inspection, as legislated by the Province of Ontario and identifying commercial vehicles which are intentionally bypassing the Vineland inspection station.

WHO DID THE BLITZ?

It happened in collaboration with the Town of Lincoln, the Ministry of Transportation, the Niagara Regional Police Service, the Hamilton Police Services and the Niagara Parks Police Service.

The safety blitzes in Lincoln were organized as a result of council’s goal of redirecting commercial vehicles away from Lincoln’s downtown cores to Regional and municipal roads that are ideal for larger trucks while guaranteeing regular goods movement to support local businesses and the economy.

WHAT WAS THE RESULT OF THE BLITZ?

More than 50 commercial vehicles were sent to the inspection station, and 49 vehicles were comprehensively inspected. Sixty-one provincial offence notices were issued for various Highway Traffic Act offences.

WHAT PROBLEMS DID OFFICERS ENCOUNTER WITH SOME VEHICLES?

During the enforcement initiative, a commercial vehicle was not equipped with the required ignition interlock device, and the vehicle was impounded. Another vehicle without insurance was stopped, its licence plates were removed, and it was towed away.

WHAT ARE LINCOLN'S NEXT STEPS TO ADDRESS TRUCK SAFETY?

In the short term, the Beamsville truck bypass route is planned to redirect truck traffic from the downtown area of Beamsville and along Bartlett Road and Durham Road. Long-term, the Niagara Escarpment Crossing Project will be a new north-south truck route on Park Road in Grimsby. Other road safety initiatives in Lincoln include community safety zones, pedestrian crossovers, speed bumps and digital speed feedback signs.

Beatriz Baleeiro, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Grimsby Lincoln News