530 charges laid at a Mississauga plaza
Published September 16, 2024 at 4:50 pm
Nearly 280 charges were laid and five vehicles seized as cops continued to target dangerous drivers over the weekend at and near a west Mississauga plaza notorious for illegal driving behaviour.
A stolen car was also recovered by Peel Regional Police as dozens of officers again clamped down on stunt drivers, speeders, street racers and others who disobey rules of the road in the Ridgeway Drive area, with a focus on Ridgeway Plaza.
The latest enforcement blitz, which ran Friday through Sunday, came on the heels of a similar and successful enforcement effort over the Labour Day long weekend.
In the Aug. 30 to Sept. 1 blitz (see video below), police laid nearly 250 charges and seized 14 cars.
The beefed-up enforcement of the area is in response to ongoing concerns and complaints from residents and businesses over the past few years.
The latest enforcement blitz carried out by police at Ridgeway Plaza. (Photos: Peel Regional Police)
This past weekend’s blitz resulted in:
- 248 Highway Traffic Act charges (speeding, unnecessary muffler noise, illegal tinted windows)
- 22 Highway Traffic Act summons (stunt driving, street racing)
- five vehicles seized
- one trespass to property act
- four licence suspensions
- three Provincial Offence Act charges
- six Criminal Code charges
In a news release issued Monday, Peel police said “there is no excuse and there will be no tolerance for street racing, stunt driving, excessive speed or unnecessary noise from vehicles.”
Beyond the penalties, police added such behaviour puts everyone on the roads at risk.
“We will continue dedicating officers to identify, locate and actively enforce traffic laws within Peel.”
In a post to social media on Friday, police said their latest “strategic enforcement operation” was an effort to continue addressing ongoing safety concerns in the Ridgeway community.
Dozens of Peel officers, supported by colleagues in a police helicopter, took part in both enforcement blitzes in addition to City of Mississauga bylaw enforcement officers.
Ridgeway Drive runs north from Dundas Street West to Eglinton Avenue West (see map below), to the east of Highway 403. Ridgeway Plaza, the site of numerous ongoing noise and dangerous driving complaints, is located just south of Eglinton.
Most of the complaints the past several years are related to excessive noise, nuisance gatherings and traffic collisions caused by the dangerous drivers, police said.
Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish, who for years as Ward 5 councillor dealt with similar issues at Westwood Square mall in Malton, applauded the coordinated enforcement blitzes.
She earlier described the illegal driving behaviour at and around Ridgeway Plaza as having “a serious disrupting influence in a residential community.”
Continuing, Parrish said “families in the area have suffered from noise, dangerous car racing and debris blowing through their neighbourhoods. Working together, long-term permanent solutions will be implemented.”
Police say they need help from the public in battling dangerous driving across Mississauga and Brampton.
Anyone with information concerning aggressive driving or street racing activities is asked to contact police at 905-453-2121, ext. 3750, or Peel Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
Map shows location of Ridgeway Plaza in west Mississauga.