Changes to busy Pickering road aims to reinforce safety for nearby police station

A section of Kingston Road just east of Brock Road has been designated as a no-stopping zone. This pilot project started in the last week of June and was set up for one simple reason; it is about getting officers and citizens in and out of the station safely.”

The idea was brought to the town of Pickering by a few officers at West Division who were finding it difficult to get in and out of the station on emergency calls.

Regional Councillor of Ward 1, Kevin Ashe, says that “in an emergency, every second can count” and that “Hwy. 2 and Brock Road are certainly the busiest roads in all of Durham.”

That is why a 25-metre stretch of road has been marked with yellow diagonal paint to help drivers be aware that they should not idle inside the zone. Const. George Tudos says “there are no fines as of yet, but we want to make the public aware that this is something that has been implemented.”

Some commuters who use Kingston Road for their daily commute have mixed feelings about it, saying that “they can see why people would be upset but it’s far worse for someone who needs the police in an emergency.”

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The pilot project is expected to last two years and hopefully, that is enough time to test it out fully to see if this is something that could work in other areas.

“If it does not work, then we can look at other options but right now, this is the option we are putting into effect and we are hoping people will abide by those rules of no stopping within that area,” says Tudos.