Jean St-Amand, councillor for Bedford-Wentworth, says Halifax Regional Police will be increasing patrols in the Larry Uteck corridor amid concerns about racing in the area. In a statement on his website, St-Amand said the West Division (which covers Bedford to Sambro Loop) will have targeted patrol times based on feedback from the public, which will mainly be in the late evening and night. “HRP’s dedicated traffic team is under resourced at present, and normally tasked with traffic patrol more so during the day than the evening,” St-Amand said. “This leaves intervention for this sort of activity to the patrol unit that must respond to every emergency call. “When call volume is high, the available time for officers to monitor this activity is greatly reduced, especially if calls are complex or require multiple officers to respond. They are doing their best to put the resources where they are needed.” St-Amand noted he’s heard from several residents about increased concerns over car and motorcycle racing in and around the Larry Uteck corridor in recent weeks. According to him, West Division police have responded to more than 5,200 calls and issued 438 traffic tickets since January. “Community officers have actively reached out to young people in ‘souped up’ vehicles when they have been parked in areas along Larry Uteck to speak with them and emphasize that this is a residential area, and to refrain from revving engines, or any other of the dangerous behaviour that has been observed,” St-Amand said. In an interview with CTV News Atlantic, St-Amand said Larry Uteck is an artery, which means traffic calming measures like speed bumps can’t be installed in the area. “We have limitations on where traffic calming can go,” he said. “We have to look at alternatives.” Brent Locke, who has lived in the area for roughly eight years, said he’s noticed an uptick in racing on evenings and weekends. “Its very frustrating,” he said. “It’s constant noise all night long. Total disregard for the community and speed limits. The noise is horrific.” With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Callum Smith For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
