Selected Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) - New Drivers/Distracted Driving
City Enforcement Services reminds all drivers to be alert and avoid distractions while on the road, especially new drivers.
The penalty for distracted driving is a $300 fine and three demerit points. Section 155 of the Traffic Safety Act, the distracted driving law, says all drivers are restricted from:
- using hand-held cell phones
- texting or e-mailing (even when stopped at red lights)
- using electronic devices like laptop computers, video games, cameras, video entertainment displays and programming portable audio players (e.g., MP3 players),
- entering information on GPS units
- reading printed materials in the vehicle
- writing, printing or sketching
- personal grooming such as brushing and flossing teeth, applying makeup, curling hair, clipping nails or shaving
Bylaw Enforcement Education Program (BEEP) - Residential/Unlawful Parking
In August, officers from the City of Grande Prairie Enforcement Services focus on unlawful parking in residential areas. The fine for most parking offences is $68.
Some of the common parking offences that are observed in Grande Prairie include parking:
- within 5 metres of a crosswalk or intersection
- in an area signed as ‘no parking’ or ‘no stopping’
- in a disabled space
- on the wrong side of the street (on a two-way street)
Enforcement Services has found that many motorists misunderstand the difference between ‘no parking’ and ‘no stopping’ zones.
In a ‘no parking’ zone, a motorist is allowed to stop in order for passengers to enter or leave a vehicle. In this case, the vehicle cannot be abandoned by the driver, even for a short time period.
In a ‘no stopping’ zone a vehicle is not allowed to stop at all. If an officer witnesses a vehicle stop for passengers a citation will be issued. The downtown core is an example of an area with numerous ‘no stopping’ zones, most of which are reserved for transit bus traffic.