Feb 11 2019 – Kevin Yaworski
We all know crossing unsafely happens a lot and that some drivers are not paying attention like they should. Correcting these are needed to save lives. It proven in many jurisdictions the best way to do that is through better engineering, education and these should be supplemented with enforcement if needed. Fine focused enforcement should not be the priority which is all too often the case. The media is not helping by ignoring or hiding the facts.
CBC Facebook post for above article.
Below is a an overview of some of the issues that occur when questionble enforcement is the priority over proper engineering and education plus collections of stats and solutions often ignored by vision zero and pro enforcement supporters about pedestrian fatalities with sources from the US and parts of Europe. Many of the factors and stats are similar in Canada.
They also lobbied or influenced to get artificiallyreducied speed limits, amber light times, lowered speed thresholds, inadequate and removal of signage and other changes against proven engineering standards and certified engineers recommendations. This often accompanied by increase in charter, due process and other legal rights being ignored during enforcement and when contesting.
In Winnipeg, Manitoba past and present municipal and provincial officials have taken their addiction to this “safety” and parking enforement revenue several steps farther by ignoring and not enforcing the conditions of authority for traffic enforcement. They have requested or allowed the removal of hundreds of functional and engineering recommended speed limit, speed reduction, photo enforcement ahead and other signs after revenue dropped. City officials refused free offer by private sector corporation to install and maintain flashing lights in all reduced speed school zones. These zones like construction zones are almost exclusively enforced only when children or workers not present.
The for profit photo enforcement partner Conduent (Formerly known as Xerox / Lockheed Martin / ACS), for profit G4S Tech parking enforement, bloated Winnipeg Parking Authority and over staffed and inefficient Winnipeg Police Service aggressively target almost exclusively locations with known and often created engineering deficiencies.
Manitoba Public Insurance has been allowed to divert Millions of dollars in overcharges to bloated bureaucracy, “safety” programs / studies and “enhanced” enforcement (ticket and demerit drives) that ignore proven engineering standards and target know deficiencies instead of refunding as required by legislated monopoly.
Past and current provincial and municipal governments have allowed legislation, bylaws and policies that are eroding the fundamentals of proper Justice and causing more loss of the public’s trust, respect and confidence in government, police and the courts.
They doing this after being influenced by special interests and continue to ignore the known root causes of the vast majority of violations and many accidents, injuries and insurance claims (deficencies). The upward trend of violations has boosted traffic “safety” and parking revenue to over $100 Million per year for a city with less than 400,000 drivers. This equates to over $.6 Billion per year taken out of the economy with velocity of money.
This before demerit and insurance penalties for tens of thousands of violations and accidents that would not have been issued or occured if the known engineering deficiencies corrected in the name of proper safety.
As well as some suggestions to handle biased media in this and other cases.
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Another example of media being biased and not including the engineering and education changes that are needed to improve safety and reduce fatalities.
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Biased Media and what we can do a out it
The influenced or biased media is once again hard at work pushing the agenda of Vision Zero, Road to Zero and pro enforcement special interests. In this case Michael Enright of publicly funded CBC.
If you care about proper safety, engineering and education plus unbiased media we must all take meaningful actions or we will all feel the consequences of more unnecessary fatalities, artificially reduced speed limits and automated enforcement plus continued advantaging of inadequate signage, amber light times and other known or created and dangerous engineering deficiencies.
We will see further misuse of valuable and limited police resources, diverting and misuse of funds from public auto insurance and continued eroding of the fundamentals of our once fair and impartial Justice system.
Hopefully you read this article and you agree. If so please comment on the CBC Facebook post and CBC Radio website article linked above and anywhere else you see the facts ignored, rants blaming just drivers, calls for more reducing of speed limits without proper engineering studies and automated enforcement.
Contact CBC Radio Sunday Edition program director and escalate if you ignored.
United and acting collectively we will not be ignored.
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To get more informed of the facts and impacts of ignoring visit the following including announcements, regular pinned posts and nested links
www.facebook.com/groups/WiseUpWinnipeg
Twitter and Facebook @WiseUpWpg
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