
Rollover closes some westbound lanes of Highway 401 Thursday morning
A serious crash on Highway 401 is causing traffic headaches Thursday morning coming into Scarborough.
The single-vehicle crash happened just before 1 a.m. in the westbound lanes near Neilson Road. A tow truck that was hauling a transport trailer crashed into a concrete barrier resulting in a fire, the OPP's highway safety division said in a social media post.
The driver was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries and has been charged with careless driving, police say.
Westboard collector lanes in the area are closed Thursday morning for cleanup, and likely won't reopen until at least 10 a.m., said Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, spokesperson for the OPP's highway safety division.

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CBC
6 hours ago
- CBC
Safety advocate, residents question council decision to make speed cameras more visible
Social Sharing Toronto is set to install larger, more visible signage around speed cameras, but a safety advocate and some residents near a busy street say the cameras are necessary to keep people safe. City council passed the motion on Thursday, which also limits how many tickets a driver can receive from a single camera before they get their first ticket in the mail. But Faraz Gholizadeh, co-chair of the community group Safe Parkside, said the city is focusing on "trivial" measures instead of redesigning roads that are unsafe. "What you need is changes to the street, something that will actually slow motorists down," he said. "Until the city realizes that, it doesn't matter how big they make signs. It doesn't matter how many speed cameras they put." Residents have long criticized Parkside Drive as dangerous, citing heavy traffic and frequent speeding. In March, a man was sentenced to six and half years in prison for causing a crash on the road that killed a couple. Gholizadeh said Parkside Drive is dominated by motor vehicles, leaving little space for pedestrians and only one sidewalk that does not meet the city's minimum width requirements. "A street that's dominated by a wide, fast lane is going to be treated like a wide, fast highway," he said. 5 speed cameras reported damaged in two days The speed camera on Parkside Drive has been cut down five times in the past six months — most recently in May — and has yet to be replaced. Last week, Toronto police said five other speed cameras across the city were reported damaged within just two days. Janet Keeping, who lives near High Park and has family on Parkside Drive, said she is "a little skeptical" council's motion will deter drivers from speeding through them. Still, she supports speed cameras as a necessary measure. "You've got to make it painful … which in this case means, ticket them as often as possible and make the fines really large," Keeping said. WATCH | Toronto announced it will double speed cameras on its streets in March: Heads up, Toronto drivers: Speed cameras are about to double 4 months ago Duration 1:49 Toronto is set to add 75 automated speed cameras to its streets in an effort to crack down on speeding and improve road safety. CBC's Dale Manucdoc has what drivers need to know. The council's decision came after Coun. Anthony Perruzza, who represents Humber River-Black Creek, called speed cameras "speed traps" that are entrapping drivers. "They're painted an obscure colour, they're usually hidden. The signs are somewhat hidden," he said, speaking to reporters at city hall on Thursday. "Even if you know where these cameras are, often you'll go by the same location and you're in a distracted way … and you get another fine." But speed cameras have a broader purpose beyond targeting specific streets, said Matti Siemiatycki, director of the Infrastructure Institute at the University of Toronto. "Part of it is to encourage people to slow down everywhere because they might get a ticket," he said. Toronto doubled the number of automated speed cameras it uses to 150 in March. The city's website shows a map of planned camera locations. Research shows speed cameras are effective in slowing drivers and reducing the number of serious injuries and fatalities when collisions happen, Siemiatycki said. He said redesigning roads is another tool the city can use to improve safety, particularly on streets such as Parkside Drive that may encourage speeding based on their design. But public support for stronger road safety measures can fall short, he said. "This is a region that was designed around the car and that car culture is tightly embedded," Siemiatycki said.

Globe and Mail
11 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
What should I do when there's a horse-drawn vehicle on the road?
What are drivers supposed to do when they encounter horses or horse-drawn buggies on the road? Few people, especially if they're from cities, understand how deadly collisions between horses and cars can be. – Mike, Ontario If you come up on a horse and buggy on the road while you're driving, just hold your horses. 'You're going to approach them very cautiously and you're only going to pass when it is completely safe to do so,' said Constable Randi Crawford, with the Oxford County detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). 'It's very similar to what you're supposed to do when you see slow-moving farm equipment [or any other slow-moving vehicle].' It's 'not uncommon' to see horse-drawn vehicles in Oxford County, about 50 kilometres southwest of Kitchener, Ont., and other parts of Ontario with Amish and Mennonite communities, Crawford said. Is it legal and safe to drive barefoot? Can I legally drive with just a photo of my licence? Some in those communities reject modern technology, including cars – and use horses instead. 'They can be found not only in the rural communities but also in towns,' she said. 'Several businesses still provide hitching stations for the horses in their parking lots or on their properties.' Because horse-drawn vehicles don't count as motor vehicles under Ontario's Highway Traffic Act (HTA), they don't need licence plates or registration – and drivers don't need a driver's licence, Ontario's Ministry of Transportation (MTO) said in an e-mail. But they do need either a slow-moving vehicle sign or reflective tape on the back of the buggy that is visible from at least 150 metres away, MTO said. In Ontario, horses and horse-drawn vehicles are allowed on all roads except the 400-series highways, Crawford said. 'I would say mostly they stick to the less-travelled roads as much as they can,' she said. 'And the average speed, from what I've gathered from talking to different people in the community, is about 14 kilometres an hour.' Horse-drawn vehicles have to keep to the right, just like all slow-moving vehicles. While they're not required to ride on the shoulder – if there is one – it's usually the safest place for them to be, Crawford said. 'We all know that some of these roads can be quite narrow, so a shoulder maybe wouldn't always be the safest place because of a deep ditch, a bridge or a mailbox coming up ahead,' she said. 'It's really just them using their best judgment.' Horse-drawn vehicles also need to follow 'the same rules of the road as everyone else,' including stopping at stop signs, she said. Just say whoa? But, the law also has specific rules for how drivers behave around horses on the road. For instance, section 167 of the HTA states you have to 'exercise every reasonable precaution to prevent the frightening of the horse.' Horses can get spooked by loud noises – including engine revving, horns, loud music or a dog barking through an open car window – cars following too closely and even bright lights. 'Horses have a flight response – so they're not going to take on a tractor, they're going to turn around and run away,' said Margot Vilvang, a riding coach in Vancouver. 'You have to be vigilant as a rider – think a little bit like a horse, who think everything is out to get them.' Even a car riding slowly alongside to take pictures of the horse and buggy – something that happens a lot in Amish country – can be unsettling, OPP's Crawford said. 'Imagine trying to walk in someone else's shoes or ride in someone else's buggy,' she said, adding that it's best to pass slowly, as far away from the horse as you can, without honking or lingering beside the horse. 'When I'm out on the road and I've pulled someone over and I'm standing at a car, the amount of discomfort that I feel when a car zips by me is just unsettling. So just be cautious, mindful and courteous.' That also means giving horses or horse-drawn vehicles plenty of space instead of tailgating them, she said. While the rules vary by province, horses and horse-drawn vehicles are generally allowed on public roads. Some provinces have exceptions for certain types of roads – in Quebec, for instance, horses are not allowed on freeways. Also, cities and towns may have their own bylaws about whether – and where – horses and buggies are allowed. Toronto, for instance, bans riding horses and horse-drawn vehicles on streets and sidewalks. There are exceptions for the police and the military – and for special events including parades, Toronto police said in an e-mail. Calgary allows horses on roads, but commercial horse-drawn vehicles need a permit, Calgary police said in an e-mail. Dangerous encounters When cars hit horses or horse-drawn vehicles, horses, riders and passengers can face serious – and even fatal – injuries, Crawford said. 'The risk of injury or death to the buggy drivers or the horses are high,' she said. 'They don't have that big steel frame around them to help keep them safe.' Crawford said there have been no fatal collisions involving a horse so far this year in her district, although there were two with serious injuries. Last December, two passengers in a horse-drawn buggy were seriously injured and the horse was killed in a collision in Norwich township, between Hamilton and London. In January 2022, a 27-year-old driver of a horse-drawn buggy was killed near Wingham, about 90 kilometres northwest of Kitchener when the horse veered into oncoming traffic. It's not clear how many collisions there are involving horse-drawn vehicles in Ontario each year. That's because collision reports don't specifically identify whether a horse-drawn vehicle was involved, the MTO said. In these communities, most local drivers expect to see horse-drawn vehicles on the road, Crawford said. 'Often, [the danger] is maybe people who are travelling through the area that might not know it too well,' she said. 'If you are visiting an area that you are not familiar with, do a quick search on your computer so you can understand what kind of communities you'll be going through … It can help you predict traffic challenges such as horse-drawn vehicles and slow-moving farm equipment." Have a driving question? Send it to globedrive@ and put 'Driving Concerns' in your subject line. Emails without the correct subject line may not be answered. Canada's a big place, so let us know where you are so we can find the answer for your city and province.


CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Driver suffers minor injuries after crashing into Waterloo grocery store
An officer with the Waterloo Regional Police Service. (Courtesy: WRPS) Police are investigating after a vehicle crashed into a grocery store in a commercial plaza on Laurelwood Drive in Waterloo Saturday afternoon. Waterloo Regional Police say the incident happened around 4:40 p.m. According to police, the vehicle remains lodged in the building as crews assess the structure's integrity. The driver was taken to hospital with minor injuries. Investigators are working to determine the cause of the collision. No other injuries have been reported at this time.