New trend?

[Mad Mike]

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Speed limit changes need bylaw update and council vote. Bureaucrats may propose but ime, the politicians are leading the charge and voting to pass the amendments. Lots of Karen phone calls and dropping speed limits is trivially easy and then you can tell the Karen's to leave you alone.

Not a town council, a regional council that is influenced by a collection of zealot groups.

So some group of 'staff; that work in an office in Newmarket but live in the Gwillumburies are making the 'staff' recommendations. The roads rules for streets that run thru the city of Markham get butchered by those folks.

 

[AFJ]

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[TK4]

I second the idea of a Highway Patrol for Ontario.

Isn't that what the OPP is supposed to do ?

 

[TK4]

An article on the Halton Regional Police web sites reports on the 51 motorcycles which they have recorded or caught this summer which were not plated or did not have a visible license plate but which were being driven on the public roads.
AFJ

Wild west show.

 

[bobbyh]

Out here east of the big smoke, the limit on 401 is 110 km's now, but most are driving as if there's no longer any speed limit. Kids in mom and dad's lexus or audi are driving Way over their head! Too many close calls to count as the speed differential looks to be 40 or 50 kph. I'm not sure when the OPP would pull you over though, still over 120 or 130?

 

[PrivatePilot]

Out here east of the big smoke, the limit on 401 is 110 km's now, but most are driving as if there's no longer any speed limit. Kids in mom and dad's lexus or audi are driving Way over their head! Too many close calls to count as the speed differential looks to be 40 or 50 kph. I'm not sure when the OPP would pull you over though, still over 120 or 130?

Who knows. The patchwork of speed limits on the 401 now is just plain dumb. Heading east out of the GTA it's 110, then it's suddenly 100 for random sections, then 110 again. Repeat all the way to Cornwall. Meanwhile, everyone's driving 120-130, lots doing 140, and it's not uncommon to see what is clearly 150 plus.

Enforcement? Pfft. Yeah, right. Drove home from Montreal a month or so back and saw a grand total of absolutely zero OPP's the entire length from the Quebec Border to home.

 

[Mad Mike]

Cost 120 off Amazon. Bought it for my DR750.

You don’t need to add side racks. It holds 70l, and wide stuff. Easy on, easy off.

 

[PrivatePilot]

Got passed my someone on the 115 yesterday who was doing probably 130-140.

Actually saw them pulled over about 5 minutes later getting a safe driver award.

So, score at least 1 (yay?) for this entire year of me actually seeing someone get pulled over who deserved it.

 

[nobbie48]

Hold onto your hats. It's got crazy since the beginning of covid, and unchecked, it's going to get a lot, lot worse.

Of course, by then, the cost of the insane level of increased policing needed to bring things back into check (if they even bother) will far exceed any costs that could be incurred *today* to keep it in check instead.

Plus, the political willpower on a lot of fronts won't be popular amongst the voters, and since politicians seem to be unable to make decisions that don't "feed the base" anymore, it'll be a tough pill for them to swallow. Can you imagine a future premiere coming along and saying that they're going to insanely tighten drivers licencing testing and experience (one of our biggest problems is that they currently give away DL's to anyone with a pulse and a crayon), insanely tighten up traffic policing including things like putting photo radar back on the highways and traffic police everywhere (political suicide, no matter how much its needed), and other things needed to convince people that they need to start driving in a civilized fashion again (big $$ tickets isntead of slaps on the wrist that are dismissed half the time, an actual chance of being busted for idiocy each and every time they drive), etc? Yeah, political suicide indeed.

In Rudy Giuliani's better days as mayor of New York he cleaned the place up by going after the small stuff. The theory was if you can't get away with spitting on the sidewalk you're less likely to think you're going to get away with robbing a bank.

It worked but a friend that lived in NYC said the city lost its vibrancy. Muggings are so exciting.

Entitlement is a massive part of the problem and if it's been ingrained in your ego since birth it will be hard to fix.

 

[PrivatePilot]

Entitlement is a massive part of the problem and if it's been ingrained in your ego since birth it will be hard to fix.

Shaking enough dollar bills out of people’s pockets or penalizing them in other ways (like spiked insurance or threatening their DL) for deciding to continue to practice their entitlement behind the wheel has an effect….sometime faster for some than others, but it usually works eventually.

 

[TK4]

Shaking enough dollar bills out of people’s pockets or penalizing them in other ways (like spiked insurance or threatening their DL) for deciding to continue to practice their entitlement behind the wheel has an effect….sometime faster for some than others, but it usually works eventually.

Or they just stop caring entirely and the wild west show continues.

 

[PrivatePilot]

Or they just stop caring entirely and the wild west show continues.

For some sure, we all have heard the stories of people who are caught over and over again driving without a drivers license, but I wouldn’t say that it’s the majority of people who lose their DL that make those decisions. I know people who have lost their DL and don’t actually continue to drive.

For those who do, the solution is more meaningful punishment for that choice. There should be actual jail time for being caught a second time, much less the third and fourth and fifth time like we have heard sometimes. Even a handful of days in the jail system for a first driving without a DL choice would be enough to knock a sense of reality into that crowd, but as it stands right now it seems that you can do pretty much anything you wish in this province, including assaults and worse, and it’s either a slap on the wrist or “released on an undertaking”.

The police officer that was shot in Toronto a few days ago was shot by somebody who was out on bail.

Something needs to change.

Entitlement and wild West will indeed continue if the actual punishments amount to nothing of consequence for those making those choices. Alas, now the thread will go into the politics hole instead of the road-safety aspect.

 

[nobbie48]

Shaking enough dollar bills out of people’s pockets or penalizing them in other ways (like spiked insurance or threatening their DL) for deciding to continue to practice their entitlement behind the wheel has an effect….sometime faster for some than others, but it usually works eventually.

Psychology is complex because everyone's brain in wired different from birth (Nature). Then add nurture and how the nature part reacts to it. Then throw in learning levels. Some people see mathematics while others see paths of communications or mechanical interactions. Sprinkle in spectrum conditions that may be slight enough to not be noticed but enough to take the edge off skills. Dyslexia, autism, Tourettes, ADD and a multitude of other conditions can ruin a person's life or, if diagnosed and used as a strength, enhance it.

Timing can be everything. My brother failed a grade in public school because of his handwriting. They don't even teach it anymore.

A drunk or an alcoholic? One is a character fault, the other a disease. What's the difference? Regardless of the answer, DUI can not be allowed. We tend to punish faults and treat diseases.

The only cure for many behavioral problems is banned in Canada because we've banned capital punishment.

Step one in most of these issues getting everyone to admit there is a problem. Mommy has to admit that little Johnny is no good. He doesn't deserve leniency. Johnny has to admit the same. Sorry Johnny, even your mother thinks you're a POS.

Johnny's excuse for bad behavior is "I was having a bad day". Why does that give him the right to assault someone? We all have bad days. We don't have the right to pass it on. Johnny was running late for work and someone got in his way. Fact: Johnny slept in because he went drinking the night before. Punch yourself in the face.

 

[Brian P]

Speeding is an issue. Governments continually dropping speed limits without changing road design is a part of the problem imo. If you have a road that was designed for 100 km/h, posted at 80 km/h and now politicians drop the speed to 50 km/h, are people speeding more or are politicians getting dumber? Vehicle speed won't have changed much but "speeding" is far worse.

Just a heads-up ...

Caledon has done an arbitrary blanket speed limit reduction to 60 km/h on (almost) all rural roads that aren't provincial highways or Peel Region roads. These used to be posted at 80 km/h until a few years ago when they dropped to 70, now 60. Most of these are straight, boring roads with good visibility and it makes zero sense. Look at Mississauga Road north of 124 for an example. This makes zero sense, and people aren't going to respect these speed limits when the normal speed of driving comfortably is threatening stunt-driving.

Think of the children.

I'm okay with scant enforcement when the laws are wrong.

 

[Mad Mike]

Just a heads-up ...

Caledon has done an arbitrary blanket speed limit reduction to 60 km/h on (almost) all rural roads that aren't provincial highways or Peel Region roads. These used to be posted at 80 km/h until a few years ago when they dropped to 70, now 60. Most of these are straight, boring roads with good visibility and it makes zero sense. Look at Mississauga Road north of 124 for an example. This makes zero sense, and people aren't going to respect these speed limits when the normal speed of driving comfortably is threatening stunt-driving.

Think of the children.

I'm okay with scant enforcement when the laws are wrong.

LOL. I've seen similar actions in York Region.

A handful of non-driving zealots are solving the Vision Zero crisis for us. More stop signs, de-sync stop lights on crosstown roads, no right-on-reds, and reduced speed limits bicycle speeds - that ought to do it!

 

[mimico_polak]

LOL. I've seen similar actions in York Region.

A handful of non-driving zealots are solving the Vision Zero crisis for us. More stop signs, de-sync stop lights on crosstown roads, no right-on-reds, and reduced speed limits bicycle speeds - that ought to do it!

Little wonder people get angrier and angrier behind the wheel.

Now just watch community safety zones expand, which will allow more cameras.

 

[PrivatePilot]

Caledon has done an arbitrary blanket speed limit reduction to 60 km/h on (almost) all rural roads that aren't provincial highways or Peel Region roads. These used to be posted at 80 km/h until a few years ago when they dropped to 70, now 60. Most of these are straight, boring roads with good visibility and it makes zero sense.

That's the nonsense they're doing in my neck of the woods as well, and some surrounding areas. There's a few section of roads in the Port Perry / Uxbridge area that is now down to 60kph for about a 3-4km stretches where it's absolutely NOT needed (and is frankly, ridiculous), but I suspect a few multi-million dollar homeowners (and Karens) in the area probably petitioned town council and got their way.

Little wonder people get angrier and angrier behind the wheel.

As per above comment, since my work truck is loaded with telemetrics I HAVE to drive the speed limit, and trying to maintain 60kph for many kilometers in an area that used to be 80 (and rightfully should still be), people lose their minds behind me. I have literally had people blast past me at 100+ making dangerous passes risking head on collisions because their road rage is full on triggered. This is something that seems lost on the idiots making these decisions thinking that lowering speed limits are going to increase "road safety" in areas where it's not justified to begin with, or is somehow going to solve speeding.

There's 2 school zones near my house that are now down to 30kph. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Driving 30 in one of these zones at 11pm and people nearly climb into your trunk behind you. It's only a matter of time before I get some dashcam footage to share of someone road-raging around me.

 

[mimico_polak]

Stupidly low speed limits are not for safety. They’re for revenue generation.

Toss up some speed bumps near schools and actual community safety zones…but no tickets for that.

 

[PrivatePilot]

Stupidly low speed limits are not for safety. They’re for revenue generation.

They'd only generate revenue if there was either photo radar, or actual police enforcement.

Neither are the case in any of these areas.

Far too many people, especially the Karens and seemingly a lot of people on town councils seem to legitimately think that lowering the speed limits will solve speeding issues.

If BMW McSpeedyface was doing 100 in the previous 80 zone, I don't know who in their right mind thinks that lowering the speed limit to 60 with otherwise zero changes so far as anything else (much less any actual enforcement) is somehow going to stop those sorts of idiots from continuing to drive 100 in the new 60 zone. The new risk of a stunt driving charge for 40kph over on a non-400 series doesn't matter to these sorts when there's basically zero chance of them ever getting caught.

 

[GreyGhost]

They'd only generate revenue if there was either photo radar, or actual police enforcement.

Neither are the case in any of these areas.

Far too many people, especially the Karens and seemingly a lot of people on town councils seem to legitimately think that lowering the speed limits will solve speeding issues.

If BMW McSpeedyface was doing 100 in the previous 80 zone, I don't know who in their right mind thinks that lowering the speed limit to 60 with otherwise zero changes so far as anything else (much less any actual enforcement) is somehow going to stop those sorts of idiots from continuing to drive 100 in the new 60 zone. The new risk of a stunt driving charge for 40kph over on a non-400 series doesn't matter to these sorts when there's basically zero chance of them ever getting caught.

And 40 over for 400 series highways with the new speed limit. Politicians are slowly rebranding speeding as racing.

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