Second road safety blitz aimed at trucks bypassing Vineland Inspection Station
Lincoln, ON – (April 27, 2023) – A second road safety blitz of 2023 took place in Lincoln on April 20 in collaboration with the Town of Lincoln, Ministry of Transportation (MTO), Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS), Hamilton Police Service (HPS) and Niagara Parks Police Service (NPPS).
These joint enforcement initiatives support the Town’s ongoing efforts to keep Lincoln roads safe by focusing on trucks intentionally bypassing the Vineland Truck Inspection Station on the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) between Vineland and Beamsville in Lincoln. These recurring blitzes were established in response to community concern on increased commercial motor vehicle traffic through core areas and neighbourhoods. The focus of this initiative was to identify commercial vehicles intentionally bypassing the Vineland Inspection Station and to conduct in-depth vehicular inspections to ensure compliance with road safety standards, as legislated by the Province of Ontario.
Safety blitzes in Lincoln are being coordinated as a direct result of Council’s desire to redirect commercial vehicles away from Lincoln’s downtown cores and onto Regional and municipal roads that are ideal for larger trucks, while ensuring regular goods movement to support our local businesses and overall economy. Safety blitzes aim to safeguard operation of these vehicles and are an ongoing commitment by the Town to ensure all roads in Lincoln are safe for residents and visitors alike.
The statistics from the recent initiative include:
- More than 50 commercial vehicles re-directed to Vineland Truck Inspection Station
- 49 vehicles were comprehensively inspected
- 61 Provincial Offence Notices (tickets) were issued for various Highway Traffic Act offences
- During the enforcement initiative, officers stopped a commercial vehicle that was not equipped with a required ignition interlock device. An ignition interlock device is required following an impaired driving related driving conviction. The vehicle was impounded.
- Another vehicle was stopped that had no insurance coverage. The licence plates were removed, and the vehicle was towed away.
“Council recognizes the need to balance community and road safety with the movement of goods across Lincoln and Niagara to support our local economy,” said Town of Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton. “It is reassuring that these joint enforcement initiatives have become a regular occurrence and that we are all approaching community safety through the same lens. These blitzes dovetail with other traffic safety measures at the Town and across agencies.”
“Our partnership with these agencies has led to an ongoing operational commitment to road safety in Lincoln,” said the Town’s Chief Administrative Officer Michael Kirkopoulos. “Our collective and committed approach to traffic and truck safety is yielding results through these frequent blitzes. The ultimate goal is increased community safety for all.”
More information on truck safety in Lincoln and previous safety blitzes is available at our Speak Up Lincoln public engagement site, speakuplincoln.ca/truck-traffic.
The Town continues to implement traffic safety initiatives throughout the community, including Community Safety Zones, Pedestrian Crossovers, speedbumps and digital speed feedback signs. For more details or to ask the Town a question about traffic safety in Lincoln, please visit the Town’s public engagement site, Speak Up Lincoln, at speakuplincoln.ca/traffic-safety.
Background
Truck Traffic in Lincoln and History of Safety Blitzes
In April 2019, Lincoln Council approved a resolution regarding truck safety in Lincoln, which addressed community concerns related to truck traffic and identified several action items to address the concerns. In the short term, the Beamsville Truck Bypass Route is planned to redirect truck traffic from the downtown area of Beamsville and along Bartlett Road and Durham Road.
In the longer term, the Niagara Escarpment Crossing Project will be a new north-south truck route on Park Road (Bartlett Avenue) in Grimsby. This route supports the need identified in the Niagara Region Transportation Master Plan for a new north-south escarpment crossing linking the QEW with Highway 20. It will offset the implications of high commercial vehicle traffic travelling through urban and residential areas within the west Niagara communities of Lincoln and Grimsby.
The Town’s Transportation Master Plan developed comprehensive strategies for the movement of goods which requires ongoing partnership with the Niagara Region and other key agencies such as the Minister of Transportation and Niagara Regional Police.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Liliana Busnello
Manager of Corporate Communications
Town of Lincoln
Direct: 905-563-2799 ext. 230
Tel: 905-563-8205
