Delta police released its top 10 list of collision locations in Delta this week as it continues efforts to bring awareness to the motoring public.
Statistics for the past three years show that Nordel Way is an area of major concern in North Delta while intersections involving highways 17 and 17A dot the list in South Delta.
DPD public affairs coordinator Cris Leykauf said there are actually six areas along Nordel Way that police have highlighted, but in the interests of keeping the list as a top 10, a few locations were combined.
She said the worst spot for collisions is the hilly stretch of Nordel Way approaching the Alex Fraser Bridge.
“We are leveraging technology to ensure we consistently focus our enforcement efforts on the high collision spots,” said Sgt. Sukh Sidhu, head of the department’s traffic unit. “Traffic officers are telling me that they’re heading out to do enforcement in a specific spot, only to find out that patrol officers already targeted the same spot earlier that day.”
Perhaps not coincidentally, the number of tickets issued in the first quarter of 2018 are up. DPD officers handed out 2,904 tickets in the first three months of 2018, compared to 1,578 in 2017.
“Honestly, we’d prefer not to hand out any tickets,” added Sidhu. “But it’s an important tool for us to influence driver behaviour and ultimately prevent collisions. I’d far rather give you a ticket than tell your family you’ve been involved in a serious accident.”
Leykauf said the department’s enforcement efforts are beginning to pay off as the number of collisions from January to March is down 17 per cent compared to the same time last year – 298 in 2018 compared to 357 in 2017.
The DPD also launched a new Twitter account this week at @DPDTraffic in an effort to keep the travelling public better informed.
Top 10 collision locations in Delta:
10500-block of Nordel Way; Nordel Way and Highway 91 Connector
72nd Avenue and Scott Road
Highway 17 and Highway 91 Connector
Highway 91 approach to Alex Fraser Bridge
Nordel Way and Scott Road; Nordel Way and 116th Street
72nd Avenue and Nicholson Road
Nordel Way and 84th Avenue; Nordel Way and 112th Street
56th Street and Highway 17
52nd Street and Highway 17
Highway 17A and Ladner Trunk Road
