Media Release: Town of Lincoln participates with partners in second safety blitz initiative this year to keep Lincoln’s roads safe

Lincoln, ON – (June 24, 2022) – The Town of Lincoln recently participated in a safety blitz known as Project Avoidance, conducted on the roadways in Lincoln. Ministry of Transportation (MTO), Niagara Regional Police (NRP), and Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers focused a recent joint enforcement initiative on identifying commercial motor vehicles that they believed were intentionally bypassing the Vineland Truck Inspection Station. This is the second safety blitz to take place in 2022.

The safety blitz occurred as a direct correlation between Council’s desire to redirect commercial vehicles away from our downtown cores and onto Regional and municipal roads that are ideal for larger trucks. The goal with these safety blitzes is to ensure safe operation of these vehicles and is an ongoing commitment by the Town to ensure all of the roads in Lincoln are safe for residents and visitors alike.

MTO, NRP and OPP officers were strategically positioned across the community to intercept commercial motor vehicles believed to be intentionally by-passing the Truck Inspection Station, which were then stopped, inspected, and directed to the Vineland Truck Inspection Station for further and more in-depth mechanical review.

MTO, NRP and OPP officers patrolled to monitor where trucks may be bypassing the inspection station on the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) between Vineland and Beamsville in Lincoln.
The statistics from the recent initiative include:

  • 58 Commercial Motor Vehicles stopped
  • 29 Commercial Motor Vehicles inspected
  • 8 charges laid
  • 6 warnings were Issued
  • 1 licence plate seized

“Community safety, including road safety and truck safety, is an intentional initiative that requires consistency and commitment,” said Town of Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton. “The results of this recent truck safety blitz demonstrate our strong collaboration with our partners and community and showcases Council’s commitment to our residents to do the utmost to keep our roads safe.”

“This initiative is possible due to the shared vision of the Town and our partners toward traffic safety in Lincoln and the Niagara Region,” said the Town’s Chief Administrative Officer, Michael Kirkopoulos. “Our goals are to raise awareness, address traffic and truck safety concerns and work collectively with our partners and residents on achievable solutions.”

More information on truck safety in Lincoln and previous safety blitzes is available at our Speak Up Lincoln public engagement site, speakuplincoln.ca/truck-traffic.

The Town continues to implement traffic safety initiatives throughout the community, including Community Safety Zones, Pedestrian Crossovers, speedbumps and digital speed feedback signs.

For more details or to ask the Town a question about traffic safety in Lincoln, please visit the Town’s public engagement site, Speak Up Lincoln, at speakuplincoln.ca/traffic-safety.

About Project Avoidance
Project Avoidance was developed in response to the Town of Lincoln’s request and through cooperation with the Niagara Regional Police (NRP), Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO), Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Halton Police Service and the Niagara Parks Police to conduct safety and compliance checks on commercial vehicles and trucks.

History of Project Avoidance in Lincoln
In April 2019, Lincoln Council approved a resolution regarding truck safety in Lincoln, which addressed community concerns related to truck traffic and identified several action items to address the concerns. In the short term, the Beamsville Truck Bypass Route is planned to redirect truck traffic from the downtown area of Beamsville and along Bartlett Road and Durham Road.

In the longer term, the Niagara Escarpment Crossing Project will be a new north-south truck route on Park Road (Bartlett Avenue) in Grimsby. This route supports the need identified in the Niagara Region Transportation Master Plan for a new north-south escarpment crossing linking the QEW with Highway 20. It will offset the implications of high commercial vehicle traffic travelling through urban and residential areas within the west Niagara communities of Lincoln and Grimsby.

The Town’s Transportation Master Plan developed comprehensive strategies for the movement of goods which requires ongoing partnership with the Niagara Region and other key agencies such as the Minister of Transportation and Niagara Regional Police.

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For media inquiries, please contact:
Liliana Busnello
Manager of Corporate Communications
Town of Lincoln
Direct: 905-563-2799 ext. 230
Tel: 905-563-8205

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