EPS tells motorcyclists to #takeittothetrack to reduce crashes
In an effort to decrease motorcycle collisions on the streets, the Edmonton Police Traffic Section is encouraging riders to take their need for speed out to the area race tracks.
There were 119 motorcycle collisions in 2020, an increase of 14 per cent from 2019, according police.
The fastest speed captured this year was 220 km/h on the Anthony Henday Drive, said James McLeod, the acting staff Sgt. of the EPS Traffic Enforcement Section.
“The faster you do travel it lessens the time to react,” he noted.
McLeod said there are 15,000 registered motorcyclists in Edmonton alone and “ the sport is growing.”
Because of that, police have created the hashtag #takeittothetrack to encourage motorcycle riders to test the speed of their machine in a controlled environment.
“I get it,” EPS Const. Calvin Ozimko said. “Everyone wants to see what their machine is capable of doing.”
“It’s at these events that provide me and the motorcycle community an opportunity to push ourselves and our bikes where we’re not going to endanger the lives of others on the city streets.”
Stratotech Park in Fort Saskatchewan. Photo by: Galen McDougall
In order to get more people on the track, one of the owners of Motorheads Track Attacks rents out raceway facilities to host public events.
“The motorcycle community in Edmonton and Alberta is very strong,” Brian Worsdall explained. “There are avenues where they can get their fix of speed, and get their thrills out.”
“Whether you’re a new rider or an experienced rider, you can come out to these events and you’re going to get some solid advice or instruction on everything from proper gear, to bike set up to even how to drag your knee around the corner,” Ozimko added.
'I LUCKILY WALKED AWAY'
Worsdall recalled buying his first motorcycle at 19 years old and instantly becoming an enthusiast. But, after a collision on a busy intersection along Jasper Avenue, he said his attitude quickly changed.
“I luckily walked away with just a few scrapes,” he said.
“For the price of one speeding ticket, usually you can come out and have a day riding on track, faster then you’ll ever go in the streets.”
The program currently utilizes Stratotech Park in Fort Saskatchewan and Castrol Raceway in Nisku for its training and racing programs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.