The pace car decals you’ll see in northwest Calgary are meant to make folks consider road safety, and if you’re the person who speeds on by, well, advocates of a new pilot program figure maybe you’re part of the problem.
But they also figure you don’t have to be.
Launched Saturday in the Calgary communities of Rocky Ridge and Royal Oak, the pace car pilot program will see locals sign pledges and stick decals on their vehicles as they strive to follow speed limits, watch out for pedestrians, and just be more thoughtful drivers.
The hope is others will see this and do likewise.
“It’s self-accountability, where you’re taking a pledge to do the right thing,” Coun. Ward Sutherland said.
“We aren’t asking people to be responsible for others we’re asking them to be the example, and if you get enough people signed up over a period of time then it does influence other people’s behaviour.”
Sutherland said the pace car pilot program follows the model of communities such as Vernon, B.C., where success has been observed.
It’ll run for a year here with reviews this October and May of next year.
Positive change in driver behaviour in Rocky Ridge and Royal Oak will help determine if the program rolls out to more communities.
Sutherland said he’s hopeful.
“(We) have to try all these different ideas,” he said.
“Enforcement doesn’t work — it collects a lot of money yes but then behaviour changes as soon as they don’t see the radar anymore.”
Staff Sgt. Paul Stacey with the Calgary Police Service traffic unit thinks the program is a fantastic idea.
“There’s only so many police and we need the community to be on board and take responsibility for their own safety too and that’s what this program is all about,” Stacey said.
“It’ll shame them into doing the same, or if not shame them at least bring them back to that sense of awareness that maybe they should be following the rules of the roads too.”
