VIDEO: 250 dangerous driving, other charges laid as cops target Mississauga plaza
Published September 5, 2024 at 3:48 pm
Nearly 250 charges were laid and 14 cars seized during a Labour Day weekend enforcement blitz as dozens of police officers targeted speeding drivers, illegal street racing and stunt driving at and near a west Mississauga plaza notorious for the dangerous behaviour.
In response to ongoing concerns and complaints from residents and businesses over the past few years, Peel Regional Police deployed some 60 officers from several units to the area of Ridgeway Drive in the city’s west end, with a focus on Ridgeway Plaza (see video below).
The five dozen officers descended on the area over a 20-hour period last Saturday and Sunday, supported by colleagues in a police helicopter.
City of Mississauga bylaw enforcement officers were also in on the Community Safety Enforcement Project, which resulted in:
- 195 Highway Traffic Act charges (speeding, unnecessary muffler noise, illegal tinted windows etc.)
- 43 Highway Traffic Act summons (stunt driving, street racing)
- 14 vehicles seized
- one Criminal Code arrest
- 66 bylaw/parking-related offences
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.
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“As a result of ongoing community concerns regarding stunt driving and related driving issues in the area of Ridgeway Drive, Peel Regional Police dedicated nearly 60 officers and over 20 hours during the Labour Day weekend to driving offences and ensure road safety,” police said in a press release issued Thursday.
Peel police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said road safety is among the top priorities of his officers.
(Photo: Peel Regional Police video)
“Having a driver’s licence is a privilege and requires driving responsibly. We will continue dedicating resources to identify, locate and actively enforce traffic laws within our region.”
Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish, who for years as Ward 5 councillor dealt with similar issues at Westwood Square mall in Malton, applauded the latest coordinated enforcement blitz.
She 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.”
Anyone with information concerning aggressive driving or street racing anywhere in Mississauga or Brampton is asked to contact police at 905-453-2121, ext. 3750, or Peel Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
Those with complaints can also contact police via the force’s Road Watch program. More information is available on the Peel Regional Police website.
Map shows location of Ridgeway Plaza in west Mississauga.