Year 2001 Award Winner and Honorable Mentions

Award Winner: School Safety Patrol Management

Lieutenant Louise Bonneau
Montréal Urban Community Police Service (MUCPS)/
Le Service de police de la Communauté urbaine de Montréal
Montréal, Québec

Lieutenant Louise Bonneau of the Montréal Urban Community Police Service is working towards her Master's Degree in Public Management. Recognizing that one pedestrian every two hours in Québec is the victim of a collision, particularly children aged five to nine years old, Lieutenant Bonneau embarked on an extensive community based problem solving project to address the issue. She conducted a study on implementing a new school safety patrol management method in the Communauté urbaine de Montréal (CUM).

This exceptional project, for which Lieutenant Bonneau won the 2001 National Police Award for Traffic Safety, demonstrates that it is possible to optimize the safety of school children who walk to and from school. By using alternative safety methods and by posting school safety patrols at higher risk intersections identified by a structured evaluation, Lieutenant Bonneau was successful in implementing this new school safety patrol management method.

A key component of Lieutenant Bonneau's study deals with the importance of providing pedestrian crossings for school children. These alternative measures improve safety and reduce the number of adult school safety patrols required. The School Safety Patrol Program, promoted by the SAAQ and CAA Québec, has been extremely effective over the years. By involving grade 5 and 6 students in safety management issues, the School Safety Patrol Program offers educational and preventive benefits.

A total of 521 school safety patrols help 70,000 school children safely cross the streets in the CUM. Lieutenant Bonneau recognized, however, that even with the help of these safety patrols, one pedestrian under the age of 12 is injured in the CUM every two days during the school year. Her study attempts to integrate alternative measures to ensure the safety of children who must cross busy intersections to get to and from school, by applying an evaluation procedure centred on the CUM's environment.

Based on a literature review, some current models, and given today's urban environment, an analysis model was developed to assess the relevance of creating, maintaining, or eliminating school crossings. Eighty-nine pedestrian crossings, selected from 521 reports prepared between April and June of 1999, were included in the study. The study revealed that school safety patrols were not needed at 30 intersections. As a result, 12 targeted crossings were moved to areas that met the criteria for a safety crossing, and 13 others were moved to higher risk locations.

Dedicating more than three years to reducing the accident rate throughout the school network, it is no wonder that Lieutenant Louise Bonneau is the worthy recipient of the 2001 National Police Award for Traffic Safety.

Information on the new school safety management method is available by contacting Lieutenant Bonneau, c/o Michel Miron, Inspector, Road Safety and Traffic Section, MUCPS, Montréal, Québec; Telephone: (514) 280-3300

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Ambassadors for Safety

Winnipeg Police Service - Traffic Division
Winnipeg, Manitoba

The Winnipeg Police Service - Traffic Division is devoted to the objective of increasing road/waterway safety through awareness, education and enforcement. Each year, careful, creative planning and problem solving begins the process; dedicated men and women implement the plans and act as "ambassadors for safety."

This division of 97 members consists of officers and staff all dedicated to the goal of making the streets in the City of Winnipeg safer for all concerned- every day of the week, every week of the year. From a Speed Enforcement Campaign (April 10-24), which identified 1,196 offenders, to Roadwatch 2000 (July 20-November 25), which removed 289 drivers under the influence of alcohol of the 8,500 vehicles stopped, this division has made the Winnipeg community a much safer place to live.

A sampling of the many other initiatives of this Police Service include an innovative Aggressive Driving Campaign (October 9-November 24) targeted aggressive driving by developing and implementing five separate mini campaigns. These focused on speeding red light and stop sign infractions, failing to signal lane changes and turn, following too close and intersection gridlock.

The Vehicle Inspection Project (May 15-29h) removed 25 per cent of 346 vehicles inspected from the street because they imposed a significant danger. Diamond Bus Lanes (June 12-18) was a special project to target drivers who travel in the diamond bus lanes. In Operation Impact (October 7) the traffic division participated in an international one-day program to identify and target impaired and unbelted drivers.

Contact: Inspector Shelley Hart, Divisional Commander, Winnipeg Police Service, Winnipeg, Manitoba; telephone: (204) 986-6270

Road Closure Action Plan

Halton Regional Police Service
Oakville, Ontario

The Region of Halton is like many other large urban metropolitan areas when it comes to traffic chaos. Highway 401, which connects Halton to Toronto, is one of the busiest freeways in the world. It is not surprising that traffic problems here and on the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) can bring critical day-to-day activities in a number of communities to a dead halt. As these roadways operate at full capacity 12 hours a day, the likelihood of a significant incident increases.

The Region of Halton has a unique "funnel effect" created by the limited number of bridges over two waterways that bisect the Region. With only three bridges crossing these waterways in the southern, populated end of the of the Region, the loss of one to a motor vehicle collision can lead to a catastrophe.

The solution to the identified problem is comprehensive, including a detailed implementation plan. The Road Closure Action Plan (RCAP) is a "living" project with ongoing evaluation an integral part of the process. Because RCAP is an emergency response plan, the monitoring takes place on a situation-by- situation basis.

RCAP provides an innovative model that is already having a positive impact on both this community and the neighbouring communities of Milton, Halton Hills and Burlington. Sustainability is ensured based on the cost-effective nature of this project, the results to date, and the ongoing commitment of the critical partners such as the OPP, Municipal Fire Departments, Region of Halton/Halton Hills Ambulance Crews, Region of Halton Planning and Public Works and the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.

The Road Closure Action Plan (RCAP) project was officially launched for the public and news media in March of 2000. The RCAP project was launched to handle traffic control in the event of an emergency road closure. This is the first of three phases in the RCAP project and includes Ramp Entry signs, Emergency Diversion Route (EDR) signs and Priority Signal Timing Plans for the following two closure scenarios: 1) QEW between Burloak Drive and Bronte Road, and 2) QEW between Dorval Drive and Trafalgar Road. These two scenarios were chosen to start the RCAP project as the QEW crosses major creeks along these sections (Bronte Creek, Sixteen-Mile Creek) and the alternative east-west routes around these areas during a major closure are very limited.

The Road Closure Action Plan (RCAP) provides the Halton Regional Police Service, Region of Halton Planning & Public Works Department, and local Halton municipalities with critical policies and procedures rerouting traffic as well as clear plans for emergency reporting and communication. The development of the RCAP project provided a very positive experience in working with the various agencies towards a common and achievable goal. The results of the project respond to an urgent need in Halton for emergency diversion routes during a major highway closure. This Plan is a concerted effort and commitment by all agencies involved in ensuring that implementation is a success. This initiative will contribute greatly towards solving Halton's chronic traffic problems.

Contact: Halton Regional Police Service, Oakville, ON L6J 5C7
Telephone: (905) 825-4777/878-5511; http://www.hrps.on.ca

"B" Helmet Safety Campaign

Chatham-Kent Police Service, Chatham, Ontario

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent is located between the cities of London and Windsor, in the heart of Southwestern Ontario. The Chatham-Kent Police Service was formed on September 1, 1998, as a result of the former Kent County and all of its towns, townships, and city of Chatham within its boundaries amalgamating to form the Municipality of Chatham-Kent.

About 140 officers service a population of 110,000, with jurisdiction over 2,494 square kilometres in landmass. This is the second largest municipal landmass in Ontario. The Chatham-Kent Police Service has launched its "B" Helmet Safe Campaign, a joint 2000 initiative developed by the Community Services Section and the Community Patrol Branch of the Chatham-Kent Police Service to address these safety issues.

The "B" Helmet Safe Campaign is a Community Road Safety Awareness Program targeted at youth in the community to promote helmet usage while cycling, skateboarding, and roller blading. The campaign also promoted bicycle safety equipment and the safe use of our roads to these youngsters. Education, promotion, and positive reinforcement, coupled with these partnerships proved to be a winning combination in the effort to reduce head injuries and promote safety on the roadways.

In 1999, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent had three fatalities involving cyclists. A helmet worn by a cyclist, skateboarder, or roller blader can reduce the risk of serious injuries and save lives. Each year, more than 100 Canadians will die from bike riding injuries. Half of these deaths will involve children from ages 5 to 14. Head injuries account for 75 per cent of all deaths related to bike injuries. As these sports continually grow in popularity among young people, the need for an educated youth population on road safety was obvious.

The "B" Helmet Safe Campaign is a police/community-based project consisting of four components: awareness, education, incentive and enforcement. Various agencies were involved in this campaign - The Brain Injury Association of Chatham-Kent, the Chatham-Kent Public Health Division, the Chatham-Kent Police Service and many others - with the ultimate goal to develop, promote and conduct a comprehensive helmet safety awareness campaign across Chatham-Kent in early summer of 2000. The "B" Helmet Safe Campaign kicked off on May 5, 2000 and is still going strong.

Contact: Sergeant Rose M. Kucharuk, Executive Officer to Chief Kopinak
Chatham-Kent Police Service, Chatham, Ontario; telephone: (519) 436-6600 ext. 280

Return to top of page