CAUGHT ON VIDEO: Numerous red-light runners in front of Hamilton City Hall

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Published February 11, 2020 at 2:37 pm

Here’s a reminder to motorists in Hamilton: Red means stop and Green means go.

Here’s a reminder to motorists in Hamilton: Red means stop and Green means go.

A video shared by Environment Hamilton shows a number of cars ignoring the red light outside of City Hall even as people are trying to navigate the crosswalk.

The video, filmed Monday (Feb. 10), was shot from the public gallery of City Hall. It shows at least six cars ignoring the traffic signal.

One of the pedestrians trying to cross the road was using a walker. One of the offending cars practically bears down on the man as he makes his way to the other side of the rainbow crosswalk.

Several Hamilton City Councillors shared the video with their own comments about the city’s Vision Zero initiative.

“Hamilton’s 5-lane one-way “competitive advantage,” tweeted Councillor John-Paul Danko. “How have we not converted this highway to a functional two-way city street in 2020? #visionzero.”

“I want to say I am surprised to see this, but it is the norm among some drivers in our city, unfortunately,” Councillor Nrinder Nann tweeted. “I see cars blowing stop signs, speeding, driving through red lights daily. This is why we need to invest in #VisionZero, more transit & stop centring drivers on our streets.”

Vision Zero is a global initiative that aims for safer streets through improved education, enforcement, engineering, evaluation and engagement. It’s overall goal is to eliminate fatalities or serious injuries on the roads.

In the comments on the video, a number of Twitter users shared their experiences of the very same intersection outside City Hall and it suggests this has been a dangerous situation for some time.

“That’s a common thing try crossing kids for shows at Ham Place and watching out for the red light runners 3 or 4 per light,” wrote one commenter.

“I see this every morning when I drive this stretch to get to my office,” another wrote.

Many users called for the installation of a red light camera at that intersection. Not only would that help in prevention, it could also provide some additional revenue for the city.

Undoubtedly, this will be discussed in council chambers in the coming weeks but until then, drive safe Hamilton.

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