County Road 507 has become “an absolute speedway,” the mayor of Trent Lakes says in the wake of the latest fatal collision on the road in northwestern Peterborough County.
Janet Clarkson wants to see photo radar implemented on the 38-kilometre winding road that runs between Flynns Corners and Gooderham.
“We have a road that I think everybody’s aware of, the 507, which is an absolute speedway,” Clark said during Wednesday’s virtual county council meeting.
“It’s advertised as that, and we’ve had another death there.”
On Oct. 10, motorcyclist John Thomas, 54, of Scarborough, Ont., was killed after a collision with a pickup truck heading in the opposite direction on a curve near Mississauga Dam Road.
The scenic route is popular with motorcyclists, but there have been other motorcycle fatalities on that stretch in past years. Clarkson said she has heard concerns from local residents who say they’re afraid to go out and get groceries on the weekend, in fear of getting in an accident on the road.
The municipality has used the Black Cat radar detection system, but Clarkson said it “doesn’t have any teeth.”
Clarkson said using photo radar is the way to catch individuals speeding and when caught, the fines need to be steep.
However, Clarkson said police trainees, for example, should be the ones monitoring the road when photo radar commences.
“We’re paying anywhere from $100,000 to $120,000 for young, well-educated officers who can be used in mental health and all kinds of things, and what are they doing?” Clarkson said.
“They’re sitting on the side of the road with radars. We don’t need to tie the resources up like that. But some of these have got to be made safer.
“We cannot have these death traps.”
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