STOP! at the SIGN

 
To:
Ontario Ministry of Transport
Ontario Provincial Police
Municipality of Grey Highlands
MPP Grey Bruce

Re: Horse Drawn Passenger Vehicles = Licensing

I live at 307377 Centre Line, Proton - Grey Highlands. This is on the corner of Centre Line (east / west) and SR 41 (north / south). There is a stop sign, both directions, on SR 41, and has been for the 35 years I have owned this home. The clear view along Centre Line is reduced in both directions, from the east by a low rise, the west by the two buildings on the north side (including my own). Centre line is also tree lined through Wareham, mature maples at least a century old.

On Sunday, March 5, a total of * eighteen * horse drawn passenger vehicles were seen to proceed through that stop sign without stopping.

Seven of these were light weight, two passenger open buggies pulled by a single horse. All of these blew through the stop sign at breakneck speed. The remainder eleven were large enclosed ‘family’ containing vehicles, pulled by a pair of horses, which although not capable of same high speeds, also violated the stop sign. In one case two vehicles did this side by side, so one was in the wrong lane entirely as it went through the intersection - as seen in the included photograph (taken from my front entrance).

Other than the difference between single horse buggies and the large enclosed wagons, there is absolutely no way possible to identify the vehicles or their drivers. The wagons are intentionally all identical construction, painted black. The horses show some slight variation, but generally are all black or dark brown. The drivers intentionally wear identical back pants, jackets and hats. Although this is undertaken for ‘cultural / religious’ explanations, the simple fact remains there is absolutely no means what so ever of identifying the law breakers.

There is no possible fiction that these are ‘farm’ vehicles. They are clearly designed for personal transport. In this situation specifically, the transport is being used to move people to and from gatherings at the Mennonite (only) meeting hall located north of this intersection on SR 41.
This situation has been repeated every Sunday since that meeting hall was constructed, typically between 11:45 to 12:15. Any attempt to address this flagrant disregard of the traffic laws made in the past has obviously been completely ineffective.

Local motor vehicle drivers are well aware of the danger created by the careless operation of these wagons on the local roads:
- Launching through stop signs without stopping, including in front of of oncoming traffic.
- Loosing control of the horses entirely (either through poor selection or lack of training for horse or driver).
- Wagons travelling at night with no visible lighting.
- Horses suddenly darting out into the traffic lane, quite unpredictably.
There has been many statements made asking the local motor vehicle to ‘be patient’ and ‘make provisions’ for the inclusion of horse drawn vehicles on the roads. Given the repeated behaviour of these horse drawn vehicles, it is clear where the true responsibility for danger lies

This is a situation that must repeat itself at every stop sign intersection in this local area - and most likely through out the Province. It is only a matter of time before there is a major collision on even this specific intersection. There have been a number of close calls I have observed, where motor vehicles have needed to suddenly brake or in several cases swerve completely around wagons who have not stopped as legally required.

Because there is virtually no method of identifying individual offenders, it is suggested here that it is more than  past time that these * personal * vehicles are required to both register and visibly mount some form of license plate. This is the requirement for other vehicles using the public roadways.

Darrell Markewitz
(address block)

An earier post on the same problem : July 2016 - Red means STOP

 
It is worth noting that I was UNABLE to report this using the OPP on line reports system. 

Any vehicle / road offense requires you to give the LICENSE PLATE.

Pretty much proves the point