The Waterloo Regional Police Service joined law enforcement agencies across North America for Operation Clear Track, an initiative designed to educate the public on how they can keep themselves safe around tracks and trains, as well as reduce preventable deaths and injuries on rail lines.
The week-long event ran in conjunction with Rail Safety Week, and was coordinated by Amtrak, Operation Lifesaver Inc. and Operation Lifesaver Canada.
Over the course of the week, members of the Waterloo Regional Police laid 67 charges, while conducting enforcement at train and LRT crossings throughout the region. The list of charges include the likes of ‘disobey railway crossing signal – stop wrong place,’ ‘disobey railway crossing signal – fail to stop,’ ‘drive while under suspension,’ ‘disobey sign’ ‘drive with hand-held device’ and ‘fail to stop for red light.’
More than 2,100 North Americans are killed or seriously injured each year as a result of collisions at rail crossings and as a result of trespassing on railway property, police said in a release.
SEPTEMBER 28
9:25 AM | Wellington County OPP were monitoring traffic and conducting radar on Wellington Road 7 near Side Road 17 in the Township of Mapleton when they observed a blue sedan travelling southbound at a speed that appeared to be well above the posted 80 km/h speed limit. The vehicle was locked on radar in excess of 135 km/h. A 37-year-old Mississauga man was charged with ‘race a motor vehicle,’ and is scheduled to appear in Guelph Provincial Offences Court on December 4. The driver’s licence and vehicle were seized for a period of seven days as per statute.
SEPTEMBER 29
7:05 PM | Wellington County OPP were monitoring traffic and conducting radar on Wellington Road 7 near the Fourth Line. The officer observed a blue motor vehicle travelling southbound at a speed that appeared to be well above the posted 80 km/h speed limit. The vehicle was locked on radar in excess of 135 km/h. A 24-year-old Guelph man was charged with ‘race a motor vehicle.’ He is scheduled to appear in Guelph Provincial Offences Court on December 4. His licence and vehicle were seized for a period of seven days.
OCTOBER 1
6:00 PM | A person with outstanding warrants was arrested in the Township of Perth East after members of the Perth County OPP responded to the report of an unwanted person at a rural residence south of Milverton. Police located a person hiding in the bathroom of a motorhome. The man was identified as having outstanding warrants in Perth County. The 38-year-old Milverton man was arrested and charged with ‘fail to comply with probation order’ and ‘fail to comply with conditions of undertaking given by officer in charge.’
OCTOBER 4
6:55 AM | Members of the Perth County OPP, North Perth Fire Department and Perth County Paramedic Services responded to a two-vehicle collision that occurred on Perth Line 86 near Road 140. The subsequent investigation revealed that two sedans were traveling west on Line 86 when the lead vehicle slowed to make a turn. The following vehicle collided into the rear of the lead vehicle. Both drivers were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. The driver of the trailing vehicle was charged with ‘careless driving.’
OCTOBER 5
3:50 PM | Emergency crews responded to a collision involving two vehicles on Arthur Street South in Woolwich Township. A grey Ford and a black Toyota were both travelling north on Arthur Street near the Conestoga Parkway when the Toyota made a U-turn on the highway in front of the Ford, which caused a collision. The driver of the Toyota, a 38-year-old Palmerston man, did not suffer any injuries. The driver of the Ford, an 84-year-old Kitchener woman, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Grand River Hospital. Roads in the area were closed for several hours as police investigated. As a result of the investigation, the Palmerston man was charged with ‘careless driving.’
