2017 Victoria Day long weekend Checkstops resulted in seven impaired arrests and 12 roadside suspensions, as well as 31 other violations including traffic violations, outstanding warrants and suspended drivers.
During the 24-hour enforcement period from Friday, May 19 to Saturday, May 20, 2017, there were 926 speeding tickets issued by EPS officers. Other Traffic Safety Act violations, including distracted driving, accounted for 671 of the total violations issued. There were also five Criminal Code offences. Automated enforcement tickets for speeding and red light violations amounted to 2,055 over the 24-hour period.
Instances of excessive speeding over the weekend included a motorcycle travelling at 128 km/h northbound on Gateway Boulevard, and a motorcycle travelling 113 km/h on 137 Avenue near the Anthony Henday overpass, both in marked 60 km/h zones.
“The Victoria Day weekend is the first long weekend of the summer, and especially when the weather is good, we tend to see a rise in incidents of impaired driving and traffic violations,” says Sergeant Kerry Bates. “That’s why our officers were out enforcing traffic laws and removing impaired drivers from our city streets.”
The Edmonton Police Service and the City of Edmonton coordinate regular enforcement campaigns throughout the year (such as Operation 24 Hours) to improve traffic safety on Edmonton’s roadways.