Traffic concerns have been raised by a Moncton city councillor after a boy was struck by a vehicle while riding his bike to school.
It happened Friday morning near a crosswalk on Twin Oaks Drive in Moncton’s northwest end.
Ward 3 Councillor Dave Steeves says he gets a lot of complaints from residents about speed.
“Especially now with the vehicles coming out for the summer. The souped-up vehicles, the noise of the motorcycles, that sort of thing. This event that happened on Friday with a grade five student being struck, didn’t even happen at the crosswalk that we’re most concerned about, which is at Augusta and Ryan. We’ve been able to visit the parent committee at Northrop Frye and there’s a significant concern. I think we’re dealing with a ticking time bomb.”
Codiac RCMP Superintendent Benoit Jolette says they interviewed at least six witnesses. Speed wasn’t a factor in this case, and charges are not being laid against the vehicle’s driver, he told council.
Steeves asked Jolette to begin or continue discussions with the Codiac Regional Policing Authority about a possible traffic division.
”I feel like we might be behind as far as regulating the speeds, and every time a traffic division does come to town, you report an immense number of tickets that are handed out and other offences,” says Steeves.
Jolette explained to city councillors that the RCMP does dedicated traffic enforcement and monthly traffic initiatives.
“One month could be crosswalks, for example, stop signs, cell phones, whatever. But these are exactly the things we’re regularly doing. I know that the council gets emails and phone calls all the time. We equally get these all the time,” Jolette adds.
He says they proposed an expansion of their traffic team a year and a half ago when they requested additional resources, which he would love to see.
“Perhaps after my time, it may happen here. But that’s what we’re looking to do because the number one priority of all members that are on the scene is to answer 911 and calls for service but the secondary duty of all police officers that are on shift is traffic enforcement. That’s what we’re doing call to call.”
