Police catch traffic violators the sneaky way

Calls from local construction companies prompted the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary in St. John's to employ some sneaky methods to catch drivers who fail to heed traffic warnings in construction zones.

An officer dressed in construction gear stood at a site in Mount Pearl, viewing traffic through a laser radar to spot drivers breaking the law and radios ahead to a uniformed officer waiting around a turn.

Const. Dave Hutchings said more than 1,000 tickets have been issued in construction zones in the last two weeks using the system.

"We've been receiving reports from various construction companies telling us that people are not adhering to the posted signage that is in the different construction zones, so today we're here and we've been for the last couple of weeks visiting the different construction sites around the city and around the northeast Avalon looking for people who are not following the posted signs in the construction zones," Hutchings said.

According to Hutchings, police feel it is important to emphasize the need for safe driving in the construction zones.

"We're having to have a chat with some people who are exceeding the limit, [and] one of the things that we're advising them is that we've got the signs posted for a particular reason and that's for the safety of the construction workers," he said.

"If we're having to take some of the enforcement action to make sure that the people remember that the construction zones are designated as a reduced speed, well then that's what we have to do unfortunately."

The maximum fine for speeding in a construction zone is $1,500.