Files from Barrie 360
Several police forces in Ontario say they will be working together to crack down on street racing, which they say has been on the rise.
Police across the Greater Toronto Area, as well as Ontario Provincial Police and forces in Waterloo and Barrie are part of the operation – dubbed Project Erase – that will use enforcement and education to combat the issue.
Barrie Police communications coordinator Peter Leon tells Barrie 360 that there is a place to race loud cars and that's a racetrack, not on city streets.
"City streets are shared by everybody, and road safety is a shared responsibility," said Leon.
Leon alluded to an unsanctioned truck rally earlier this month in which several hundred drivers, many in pickup trucks, descended on the parking lot at the Bayfield Mall. There were more than 30 charges laid.
"They were conducting activity on private property," he noted. "It was unacceptable, unsanctioned and unwelcome in our community."
Toronto police acting Supt. Matt Moyer says that since January, Toronto has seen 521 charges related to stunt driving and a 31 per cent increase in stunt driving calls over last year.
Police in Peel Region and Durham Region say they've laid a combined 600 charges against those accused of street racing this year.
Durham Region's deputy police chief says his force has started using automatic licence plate readers as part of efforts to combat street racing and York Region police say the use of unmarked cruisers will be part of their enforcement efforts.
Anyone who sees aggressive driving or street racing is asked to report it to police or Crime Stoppers.
Banner image: Unsanctioned car rally-Barrie-File Photo-Michael Chornley- At the Scene Photography
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25, 2023.
