TIMMINS, Ont. — Motorists speeding and passing signaling school buses here will likely slam headlong into a new initiative of the Timmins Police Services Board.

During a recent meeting the board approved in principle the modified adoption of a successful program from the South Simcoe Police Service. Increased fines under the Traffic Initiative Program (TIP) are at the cornerstone of the initiative; the resulting increased revenue would then pay for traffic police teams dedicated to policing identified problem areas in the city.

It’s frustrating for our officers, said Chief of Police Denis Lavoie. They just get their radar set up and they’ll get a call to respond to an incident elsewhere. A dedicated traffic unit would solve this problem.

TIP fines in Timmins are currently $50, while South Simcoe charges $100. Lavoie feels an increase to $75 in Timmins is realistic for now and can be reassessed in a couple of years. In place since 1996, TIP allows police officers the option of having drivers pay the lower fine, if they go to the police station to take a test on the rules of the road.