New rules planned for rural roads in Ontario

By Justin Medve and Charlotte McParland

BELLEVILLE — Legislation and tools that target unsafe driving are in the works for Ontario municipalities.

Premier Kathleen Wynne announced the intended legislation in Ottawa on Tuesday.

“Municipalities and our road safety partners have strongly advocated for tougher measures to stop dangerous drivers and better protect pedestrians. These measures would strengthen road safety in school zones and help municipalities keep their communities safe,” she said.

If passed, measures would include:

• Licence plate photography on municipal roads
• Increased ability to create zones with a reduced speed limit
• An easier application process for red light cameras

This comes as a result of increasing collisions involving children, seniors, cyclists and other pedestrians, the government says.

According to a press release, speed plays a large factor when it comes to rural accidents. In 2013, three out of four speed-related collisions occurred on municipal roads.

QNet News reporter Lindsey Harren visited a Napanee crosswalk that is being monitored by police after they warned drivers to stop for students. That story can be seen here.