Halton "TAXI"

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/637376

Couldn't find the old post.....yippee.

Yeah.. Only one official complaint... The civil disobedience campaign was a sign of approval On a good note, the citizens of Halton region can sleep easier these days. I've always said that marked cruisers do a heck of a lot more to improve highway safety than ninja tactics.

FiReSTaRT wrote:

I've always said that marked cruisers do a heck of a lot more to improve highway safety than ninja tactics.

A vast majority of drivers never have anything to worry anyway, so marked or unmarked would not make a difference. The jackasses that everyone complains about rarely do their ritual bad habits when a marked car is around.

I can not remember the last vehicle that followed the marked billboard too close or cut me off. Now switching to the MC, had a 40 over as the vehicle blew by me (same direction) on a 2 lane hwy last night That person certainly would not have done that to a regular marked crown vic.

Honestly, I would rather use a unmarked/stealth vehicle (every shift) and stop vehicles for aggressive driving (lane changes, follow too close, passing off roadway etc...) Instead of speed enforcement most of the shift.

We used to have an unmarked blue Chev Impala (with chrome rims, spoiler, tint, no antennas) and we were not permitted to have radar in the vehicle. That vehicle was awesome at enforcement of the aggressive driver.

Bear, out of curiosity, do you also nail those moving road blocks in the passing lane? In most cases they are speeding, but are still holding up traffic and encouraging others to drive aggressively just to get around'em. As a motorist, all I can do is a honk and a gesture to move over as I (safely) pass them from a driving lane. However, if people didn't block the passing lane so much, there would be less weaving and tailgating.

FiReSTaRT wrote:

Bear, out of curiosity, do you also nail those moving road blocks in the passing lane? In most cases they are speeding, but are still holding up traffic and encouraging others to drive aggressively just to get around'em. .

If the vehicle is overtaking another vehicle, I will not bother them, unless they are speeding (20+). If the vehicle behind is following too close, that is who I will be stopping.

Best thing that could happen is modify the laws of lane use and would be simple to do for 400 series highways:

1) A motor vehicle shall be driven in the right most lane unless overtaking another OR allowing a motor vehicle to merge.

2) No motor vehicle shall pass another vehicle on the right. (which includes paved shoulders)

Do you bother them if they are going, say, 105 km/h while the centre lane is going 110 km/h? They're not passing anyone, but are still above the limit. The right-hand lane is likely going the same 105 km/h or faster, which technically includes the left-lane bastard in the flow of traffic, so there goes 147 (1). Would 148 (2), the 'vehicles overtaken' law, apply?

sorry...i only have 2 lanes each way here

Ah, forgot about that.

Then how about the car doing 5 over the limit in the left lane, while cars pass on the right at 10 over the limit? I'm just curious if there is an appropriate charge that has held up in court, seeing as that car in the left lane is already over the speed limit.

I have issued that type of offence notice I would guess 3-5 times in the time I have been here.....all were from traffic complaints, I was able to count how many vehicles behind the subject vehicle as it went by. I can not recall which section I used. Would have to look it up. Never went to court with any

TPS is starting to get really ornery with left lane hogs on the Don Valley Parkway. I've seen three pulled over in the last four weeks.

hwybear wrote:

We used to have an unmarked blue Chev Impala (with chrome rims, spoiler, tint, no antennas) and we were not permitted to have radar in the vehicle. That vehicle was awesome at enforcement of the aggressive driver.

I'd favour the same sort of approach. I don't like the idea of the "imitation taxi" that Halton was using, since I don't know if it's a taxi or a police car. But several non-descript unmarked vehicles would be good. Periodically the HSD seems to use them around here. Drivers always turn on the halo when they see a marked police cruiser.

Actually, think it was last year, an 18-year-old kid tried to race the commander of the Chatham-Kent OPP Detachment. The officer was in an unmarked car. The kid kept trying to get him to race, cutting him off, etc., finally the officer turned on the lights and stopped him. There isn't a snowball's chance in hell that kid would've done it with a marked cruiser. So a real dangerous driver is off the roads. In the past, it has also resulted in road ragers getting tossed in the clink for a few days... couple of years ago on the 400, and I believe it was the same weekend, one driver tried to run an unmarked cruiser off the road (he got arrested) and another cut off an unmarked cruiser, stopped, leapt out of his car and ran back only to discover that the person he was about to fight was a police officer (he also got arrested).