Police in Vancouver will be increasing the presence of officers at high-risk intersections in the city and in school zones as darker days and wetter weather set in. The campaign, dubbed “Project Vigilance” was announced Monday by the Vancouver Police Department. A weekend crash that left an e-scooter rider dead downtown, a collision that killed a pedestrian late last month, and a seven-year-old child being struck on a busy street were cited as recent cases underscoring the need for everyone to exercise additional caution on the roads. “We’ll be targeting speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving, jaywalking, and lack of helmets, among other behaviours that can cause harm,” VPD spokesperson Sgt. Adam Donaldson said, in a statement. “In Vancouver, we love to wear black and carry black umbrellas. If you can clip a reflector to a bag or your clothing, it’ll help drivers see you.” The department did an awareness campaign targeting e-scooters in September and issued 1,275 “warnings and tickets,” but Mondays statement said the new campaign could bring “less warnings and more tickets.” Police urged anyone operating an e-scooter to familiarize themselves with the rules, and to abide by them by, for example, always wearing a helmet, travelling at 25 km/h or less, and never “doubling.”
