Twenty commercial vehicles were taken off the road or fined during a recent inspection blitz on Royal Avenue.
New Westminster officers from the department’s traffic section spent six hours earlier this week conducting commercial vehicle inspections in the 500-block of Royal Avenue. The inspection is part of an ongoing enforcement program that cracks down on commercial vehicles that aren’t following the required safety legislation, according to a media release from the department.
“Traffic safety is an important organizational priority for the NWPD,” said New Westminster Chief Const. Dave Jones in the release. “Ensuring that commercial vehicles are being compliant with provincial laws is a key component to ensuring that motorists in New Westminster remain safe.”
On Feb. 12, officers inspected 54 commercial vehicles and of the 54 inspected, 20 commercial vehicles were taken out of service and of those, 12 were towed away. In addition, officers issued more than $24,000 in provincial fines and $400 in municipal fines.
The daylong blitz is part of a monthly crack down by the New Westminster Police Department on commercial vehicles travelling through the city. In 2013, officers inspected 729 commercial vehicles, resulting in 244 being taken out of service and more than $53,000 in provincial fines and $19,000 in municipal fines, the release added.
“I am very pleased that this initiative is moving forward,” Jones said. “It will allow our traffic members to focus on other traffic issues such as distracted and impaired driving, all of which are key components to overall traffic safety in New Westminster.”
The department intends to continue the monthly inspections and is also considering hiring two municipal commercial vehicle inspectors “whose sole purpose will be to conduct commercial vehicle inspections within New Westminster.”
