Ontariohighwaytrafficact.com

Pfft. They know I'm King of the Right Lane and no one may trespass on my propertah.

Radar, you have been warned.

Squishy wrote:

Radar, you have been warned.

You have to catch me first!

Radar Identified wrote:

As for HSD, there were a few more than usual, being the long weekend. Even looked for Da Bear, but no bear sightings that weekend.

HSD....we do not add any more cars on for the weekends in this area, that would not be fiscally responsible.

Da Bear was at in-laws filling his face!!

HSD....we do not add any more cars on for the weekends in this area, that would not be fiscally responsible.

That would be new for a government office. Fiscal responsibility=military intelligence=Weapons of mass destruction=

Reflections wrote:

HSD....we do not add any more cars on for the weekends in this area, that would not be fiscally responsible.

That would be new for a government office. Fiscal responsibility=military intelligence=Weapons of mass destruction=

I know it sounds weird, but we just can't call in workers on OT just b/c it is a long weekend.

That being the case, more of the officers that were on duty were patrolling the 401, much more so than normal. Counted nine along the 401 on Sunday, whereas normally there are only two.

we had 11 working yesterday......think at one point we had 8 on the 401 and the other 3 on hwy 40....that is a normal thursday for # of units working

hwybear wrote:

Reflections wrote:

HSD....we do not add any more cars on for the weekends in this area, that would not be fiscally responsible.

That would be new for a government office. Fiscal responsibility=military intelligence=Weapons of mass destruction=

I know it sounds weird, but we just can't call in workers on OT just b/c it is a long weekend.

Well Fantino's all about "safety" and he doesn't get overtime.......wait his driver does.....forget it.

Hey bear random question does each detachment have some sort of budget?

So can you guys only afford X overtime etc.

And what about the cars i believe it was you who told me you guys get new cars after 150 k. That isnt very much at all today why do they replace them so early seems wasteful.

Ton's of cars run fine up to 250 k now. Not sure about your guys vehicles i know they take much more of a beating then a civilian car but still....

Just another random question why do LEO's always have black steel wheels? Secondly what do you guys get for tires on there? As you said for winter tires 170 speed rating would be no good for highway patrol? I guess you guys get H rated all seasons i think are good for 240 or the rest of the year?

I know big forces like peel or TPS will have their own garages and gas, mechanics i assume to look after the fleet. BUt someone like peel has a ton of cars.

I saw the HSD in Mississauga i guess they got about 10-20 marked vics and one or 2 tahoe's. There is usually 3-6 parked cars outside the detachment.

Now OPP HSD detachments are tiny compared to a place like a peel or TPS station.

So what does the OPP do for maintenance and gas???

Second i don't know if this is true but i heard Julian Fantino drives a big tank on the highway. I heard he says its really safe and if the tailgaters follow him they can't hurt him or his family. He also says he can just blow those 150 km/hr street racers right off the 400!!!

Another random question i remember you saying before an officer has a choice of radar or lidar. Are those laser units still expensive? Wouldn't the officer just bring both. Usually the radar is built in (Stalker/Genesis 2) and lidar is always hand held i assume i have no idea what units you guys get or how much they cost. Do you guys even use hand held radar units? Are all cars outfitted with GPS and Spectres?

One more neat thing i aslways noticed, sometimes there is really long stretches of highway with no detachment.Or lets say you have like 10-50 km of highway that no detachment is really encharge of.

So maybee they won't patrol there or do speed enforcement as much but let's say an accident happens. Maybee some truck crashes or a car engine starts on fire. How do they notify you guys and what detachment would they pick? Do they look at which ever officer is closer regardless of detachment and send someone?

I have seen it happen before in a few places and i always wondered what they did when they have real emergencies (crash, fire, etc) and there isnt really a detachment near by??? Send a local municipal force? Mind you the question i am asking is if this took place on a 400 series highway or one the OPP was charge of patrolling.

Wholly questions batman!! going to group some together.

tdrive2 wrote:

Hey bear random question does each detachment have some sort of budget?So can you guys only afford X overtime etc.

I don't know the whole budget thing. However each detachment has an allotted expense for the year for the detachment itself (building, chairs, desks etc..) No budget on OT, but has to be justified, can not just call people in. (ie crash where the hwy closed OR bad winter storm where can not keep up with vehicles going in the ditch OR missing people etc..)

And what about the cars i believe it was you who told me you guys get new cars after 150 k. That isnt very much at all today why do they replace them so early seems wasteful. Ton's of cars run fine up to 250 k now. Not sure about your guys vehicles i know they take much more of a beating then a civilian car but still....

150k seems to be a balance point (at least for OPP) between resale value and cost of maintenance where it is the most cost effective. Spent the basic amount on maintenace and can still get a good price back when selling.

Just another random question why do LEO's always have black steel wheels? Secondly what do you guys get for tires on there? As you said for winter tires 170 speed rating would be no good for highway patrol? I guess you guys get H rated all seasons i think are good for 240 or the rest of the year?

Steel rims all the way.....they stand up to the beating of potholes, bush roads and going over curbs.

Think our summer and winter tires are "V" rated (210km), would have to double check the tires later. We do not use all season tires.

So what does the OPP do for maintenance and gas???

Each vehicle goes to the closest dealership (Ford, Dodge, Chev) for service. Fuel can be purchased at any major company (Shell, Sunoco, UPI, 7 Eleven, Esso, Petro-Can, Beaver, Pioneer)

Second i don't know if this is true but i heard Julian Fantino drives a big tank on the highway.

I have never heard of any commissioner in a big tank. I have heard a few brands of cars tossed around in my years. (ie Ford 500, Chrysler 300, Charger and Impala).

Another random question i remember you saying before an officer has a choice of radar or lidar. Are those laser units still expensive? Wouldn't the officer just bring both. Usually the radar is built in (Stalker/Genesis 2) and lidar is always hand held i assume i have no idea what units you guys get or how much they cost. Do you guys even use hand held radar units? Are all cars outfitted with GPS and Spectres?

I will speak in reference to my detachment. Keep in mind it is a traffic detachment and I do not know the general duties allotment of equipment. I will guess at the cost per unit.

17 cruisers (14 marked units, 1 unmarked, 1 Marine truck, 1 Reconstruction truck)

2 motorcycles

14 moving/stationary radar (13 Genesis, 1 Stalker) $2500

3 stationary radar (Genesis VP) $2000

4 lidar $5000

3 Spectre $1500

0 GPS

8 of 15 cars assigned with a on board computer system

One more neat thing i aslways noticed, sometimes there is really long stretches of highway with no detachment.Or lets say you have like 10-50 km of highway that no detachment is really encharge of.

Every area in the province is assigned to some police force, so much that a dividing road between 2 police services, that the northbound lane is one service and southbound lane is another. When a call comes in, the dispatcher types in the address and then the computer automatically assigns it to the proper OPP detachment and the working units are dispatched, if it the area borders with a municipal service OPP is sent regardless.

Thanks for reply bear really good post!!!

I had no idea lidar cost's that much.

Are they actually 5000 $ or are those the new units?

Small question i know another officer with a local force he said they run 6-6 shifts x 12 hours.

So how does that work when you have all your officers done at 6 who is gonna watch the roads in between?

Neat about the radar units they cost alot of money to.

Let's say you guys get like 160 k on a marked vic. Time to sell i assume you guys would atleast keep some of the parts like radar, etc instead of buying new gear?

I always assumed radar units like the Genesis II were mounted and fixed into the car.

I also hear in Peel the bosses etc sometimes get different vehicles.

It is my guess the Supervisor's or highest rank officer on shift at the time will drive the undercover or the Tahoe?

You said this is your division which i think you said is Chatam.

So i am guessing like the Toronto HSD would have alot more officers, gear, cars, etc?

Only the car itself is replaced.

Everything is gutted out (emergency lights, siren, push bumpers, cages, first aid kit, shovel, flares, radio system, radar, spectre, computer mounts etc...) and put on a new car.

No laws or stiff penalties will fix our problems on the open road. The only hope we have for a safer and more efficient driving experience is to alter the "philosophy" of driving from one of rules and regulations to one of respect and consideration for our fellow motorists.

Those who drive with little or no respect for those behind them are real dangers on the road. Rear view mirrors seam to be but a useless ornament for many motorists. They don't give a *EDIT* about the line of cars behind them. Why should they? They're obeying the law after all.

The new look of the OPP is one of strong, aggressive enforcement. The commissioner comes across as a tough, take-no-prisoners type of authoritarian. His officers rarely give warnings any more. Even reduced tickets are becoming a thing of the past. Zero tolerance is the modern catch phrase. Our Liberal government clearly supports this new social climate, so citizens start becoming mean, nasty jerks themselves. They don't let others merge in front of them, they honk their horn when being passed, they generally bitch and complain about everyone else on the road. This social experiment our current government is profiting from has made for a nasty atmosphere for daily commuters.

If there was a way to widely promote simple etiquette in general (not just lane discipline) we'd be well on our way to improving the flow of traffic in Ontario. Our Commissioner will never be the man for THAT job. He clearly lacks the ability to recognize that a vast majority of the motoring public (even speeders) want to see a safer environment on our highways just as much as he does. He can fly his planes, and run his blitzes all he wants, but he will never beat society into submission. I have seen very little change in the speeds on major highways. There's still that core group of guys I feel comfortable driving with, and there's still those rolling wrecks just waiting for a place to happen.

I teach my kids manners at the dinner table. I teach them to open doors for others. They say please and thank you, and they try their best to put others needs ahead of their own. I fully expect these same characteristics to play out on the open road when they get their licenses and start driving.

Figure out a way to legislate good manners in general and you just might be on to something!

My take on it is that common sense and common courtesy can't be legislated no matter how much the fiberals try. Those come under the headings of "education" and "parenting."

A parenting license!

Or adopt China's one-child policy (or two-child, since we're not running out of room yet). Lower population densities generally lead to better consideration for others. Monkeyspheres and all that.

FiReSTaRT wrote:

My take on it is that common sense and common courtesy can't be legislated no matter how much the fiberals try. Those come under the headings of "education" and "parenting."

No argument here. Dalton & Co are so concerned about a few sporadic cases of people being irresponsible that they'll eliminate any opportunity for younger people to be responsible (the restrictions on young drivers that they proposed last year comes to mind). How the heck are we supposed to be able to do anything in our adult lives if we aren't given the opportunity to learn how to be responsible as youths?

How the heck are we supposed to be able to do anything in our adult lives if we aren't given the opportunity to learn how to be responsible as youths?

Sponsorship scandal ring a bell........no one, but everyone pays....

Not to go off topic but anyone notice that the cop in the site logo is tailgating??

Bookm wrote:

I teach my kids manners at the dinner table. I teach them to open doors for others. They say please and thank you, and they try their best to put others needs ahead of their own. I fully expect these same characteristics to play out on the open road when they get their licenses and start driving.

Bingo!! That is where it has to start. Good Work Bookm.

But I have seen society change to, where the parents refuse to think their little angel did anything. Nor do the parents admit their mistakes. Parents letting their teens stay our all night. There is even a recent decision in Quebec where a 13yr old sued her father (and won) as was not allowed to attend a school function as she was grounded for an incident...where is society going??

(ie: I was parked on the edge of a street, see an ATV doing donuts in a parking lot, it comes within 5 ft of my cruiser hood and parks on the road beside the unmarked cruiser, goes to walk in the home Told him to get his parents, they come out, I tell them where he was....NO he wasn't he never left the property HELLO, the ATV is still on the highway (parked on sidewalk in a town).)

Now back sort of on track that we are over burdended with laws. I agree, but is due to people, not owning up and finding loop holes to the system and more rules are made (ie: no parking sign....pretty simple...well why do we now have more signs on the same pole....no stopping, no standing). Add in the over whelming "public inquiry" and the "coroners inquest" for every single little thing.....and here comes motorcycle helmets, bicycle helmets, snow board helmets, seatbelts etc..

Reflections wrote:

Not to go off topic but anyone notice that the cop in the site logo is tailgating??

I wondered why the cruiser was driving the wrong way......or is it going in reverse? (white door is on front, red light is on drivers side)

Bookm wrote:

Those who drive with little or no respect for those behind them are real dangers on the road. Rear view mirrors seam to be but a useless ornament for many motorists. They don't give a *EDIT* about the line of cars behind them. Why should they? They're obeying the law after all.

So I'm driving home on Friday and low and behold there's a pokey driver in the left lane of a 2-lane section of the 407. I waited hoping he would move over but sadly, no. While I was waiting I noticed a OPP Yukon in the rearview. Just for fun I changed lanes and went past the LLBandit and cruised at 115. It took the officer 5 minutes to go around the traffic clogging ding-dong. Slow vehicles to travel on right side

147. (1) Any vehicle travelling upon a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic at that time and place shall, where practicable, be driven in the right-hand lane then available for traffic or as close as practicable to the right hand curb or edge of the roadway. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 147 (1).

I know 'bear, normal speed of traffic means the speed limit, but still.....we need a rewrite.

I always thought "normal speed of traffic" meant the flow of traffic. That way, you don't have to keep right during a traffic jam, as the "normal" speed could be 50 km/h under the limit by now. The same way, it should apply to traffic flow above the speed limit.

Reflections wrote:

I know 'bear, normal speed of traffic means the speed limit, but still.....we need a rewrite.

I agree we need a rewrite. Something like "Fail to drive in right hand lane, except while actively passing" or "Driver failing to move right for motor vehicle approaching from rear at greater speed"

Then think would have to take out speed altogther...as various arguements....

- I'm at the MAXIMUM speed, I am not allowed to go faster, therefore the driver behind should not be catching me

- I'm going with the flow of the vehicle in front of me 200m (safe following distance) , why should I move right b/c someone thinks "his" flow should be faster

Reflections wrote:

Not to go off topic but anyone notice that the cop in the site logo is tailgating??

Not tailgating - looks like the banner text was blocking the road so he had to cross to opposing lanes to pass...but the stupid red wagon isn't moving out of the way.

hwybear wrote:

Reflections wrote:

I know 'bear, normal speed of traffic means the speed limit, but still.....we need a rewrite.

I agree we need a rewrite. Something like "Fail to drive in right hand lane, except while actively passing" or "Driver failing to move right for motor vehicle approaching from rear at greater speed"

You should schedule a meeting with Mr. Fantino.

Step 2 is to get rid of 150 (1) (b) and (c).

hwybear wrote:

Reflections wrote:

Not to go off topic but anyone notice that the cop in the site logo is tailgating??

I wondered why the cruiser was driving the wrong way......or is it going in reverse? (white door is on front, red light is on drivers side)

All the vehicles have yellow headlights......We should "spiffy" that up a bit.

hwybear wrote:

Reflections wrote:

I know 'bear, normal speed of traffic means the speed limit, but still.....we need a rewrite.

I agree we need a rewrite. Something like "Fail to drive in right hand lane, except while actively passing" or "Driver failing to move right for motor vehicle approaching from rear at greater speed"

Then think would have to take out speed altogther...as various arguements....

- I'm at the MAXIMUM speed, I am not allowed to go faster, therefore the driver behind should not be catching me

- I'm going with the flow of the vehicle in front of me 200m (safe following distance) , why should I move right b/c someone thinks "his" flow should be faster

Write it like this.....ahem.."If yo flooo ain't tight, move it to the right"

That would take care of the GTA....

Had it been me in Bear's driver seat, I'd pull over those left-lane bandits and people with mounds of snow on their vehicles, ticket them for speeding and anything else I could find and then tell them exactly why they got singled out from the crowd.

Reflections wrote:

Write it like this.....ahem.."If yo flooo ain't tight, move it to the right"

That would take care of the GTA....

thanks....I'm picking up the sunflower seeds I just sprayed ....that was good

hwybear wrote:

Reflections wrote:

Write it like this.....ahem.."If yo flooo ain't tight, move it to the right"

That would take care of the GTA....

thanks....I'm picking up the sunflower seeds I just sprayed ....that was good

Now for sale at 'Bears house, another slightly used keyboard, only $5.

I think i know what it is the guy in the blue station wagon must be Jim Kenzie and that is Julian Fantino behind him.

Either that or the officer sees doughnuts in his car and is trying to catch him to see if its for real.