LETTER: With less police presence, reader says more drivers are flouting the law

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This is not about the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, in our news from council on the changes related to the pandemic, I note that the police will have ‘reduced enforcement of noise bylaws until further notice’.

I am frustrated and dismayed by this, as I have been working with a councillor and the city police about vehicle violation of speeding and noise issues since last summer. There has been no noticible change in the past many months. In fact, now that there are less vehicles on the road, what is more noticeable is that there is no decrease in the excessively noisy and speeding vehicles.  

I write today after months of communication with a city councillor and the local Barrie police about speeding vehicles through city streets and, often, not always with modified exhaust systems.

My neighbours and myself feel that there has been an ever increasing number of speeding and excessively noisy vehicles on Barrie’s streets and neighbourhoods over the past year or more. The response from the councillor was that these incidents are hard to control. Why is that? I could not get a better answer.

The response from the police has been that they are doing what they can. However, we do not see much of a police presence in the city or the neighbourhood. I do appreciate that with the pandemic there is an increased need of police duties. However, for the past many months, since last summer we have not noticed much police presence dealing with these obvious vehicles that draw attention to themselves with impunity.

Both these behaviours indicate a disrespect and indeed a disregard for the law.

Now, since the pandemic, we see less vehicle traffic and more pedestrian traffic, albeit with social distance guidelines in place. The behaviour of these drivers is now even more noticeable and dangerous because there is not a decrease in their activity. With nice weather and no school we note a great increase in the number of children walking with their families and riding their bicycles.

These drivers are dangerous and it is disappointing that there has been very little done to remedy this situation. As I sit writing this, I hear many speeding cars with their attention seeking noise driving by. I note from news items over the past several months that Toronto has decreased speed limits in parts of the city and New York city has offered 5,000 reckless drivers an ultimatum: Take a safety course or lose your car.

I have had a few deputation appointments with a committee of Barrie city council, but have been postponed three times and now due to the pandemic these committees are postponed until further notice. Thus, I raise this with our community with one of a few avenues left for public community concerns.

Some suggestions:

It would be helpful I believe if the City of Barrie could have a public education campaign or notice to the effect that they take the issue of  noisy and speeding vehicles seriously. They will shortly be enforcing the laws regarding speeding and excessive noise on city streets. 

Drivers who flout the law because there has been little enforcement I believe may pay attention if the city and police took a stronger position. It would not take very much extra policing to occasionally be more of a presence in the city and neighbourhoods to stop this irresponsible and illegal behaviour.

Myrna Clark
Barrie

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