Do you grumble, watching lead-footed louts zipping along major roads in Ottawa, especially St Laurent Boulevard or Hemlock Road. The Ghost-busters used to ask -- "Who ya gonna call?"

If you can identify a certain time period when there appears to be more speeding, aggressive driving, or otherwise dangerous driving, OPS Traffic Squad can help. OPS works closely with City Transportation officials on an "Integrated Road Safety Program", to minimize serious injuries or fatalities by focusing on aggressive driving and speeding in neighbourhoods. The monthly police incident reports shows Traffic Squad officers have been active around Manor Park to good effect.

To assist the Police, City of Ottawa Traffic Assessment Officer Tom Carmody can provide advice, carry out speed surveys and loan out equipment. He has signs to remind drivers that this is a 40 or 50 km/h zone. These signs incorporate a radar speed detector so drivers see clearly how fast they are going. This can reduce speed, but if it does not work, then there are other routes to explore - redesigning the road, increasing enforcement, and so on.

If you have a general problem with speeding on your street, start by giving Jacques Legendre's office a call. Be assured that the City has resources, willing and able to help (if slightly stretched and under-resourced), to address the issue. Oh, and there is a backlog of 25 years of city projects to undertake traffic calming. So, if no one wants to build that 'bulb-out' on Hemlock, "Who ya gonna call?" Clearly, the Terminator!

From the Police event report for September comes a tawdry tale of young people with little supervision and less imagination, causing a series of spoiled evenings and nights for neighbours at the corner of Eastbourne and Braemar. A series of calls to Ottawa Police by upset Manor Park neighbours after midnight in early September - 5 calls in a seven day period, two during one night - complained about the actions and inconsiderate noise of rowdy youth, who seemed to find their amusement well after midnight, beating 2 by 4s against mailboxes. After a few visits from uniformed officers, the noise seems to have died down, but the lack of consideration for older neighbours by these silly young individuals is a symptom of a lack of discipline and parental responsibility, and a sign that we, as a community, need to address the problems and the challenges of better socializing young people, rather than encouraging the instant glory of a bad reputation.

Apart from this series of unpleasant late night excesses, Manor Park has been mostly quiet, safe and peaceful since publication of the last Chronicle. The OPS report a theft on Dunvegan in early September, and another on Kilbarry near mid-September. While there are no break-ins to residences in the Park in this period (although a thwarted one was reported in early September on Dunvegan Road), there have been some in neighbouring communities, plus there was a report of an assault on Barclay Road, and a sexual assault on Glasgow Street near the end of September.

Make the Right Call
Do you remember what to do if you see something nefarious going on?
Here are a few brief reminders:

See a life-threatening incident, or a crime in progress?
CALL 9-1-1 for URGENT Police, Fire or Medical Response.

See something suspicious but not life-threatening?
CALL 230-6211 for the Ottawa Police Dispatcher and a fast police response.

Want to report something that happened recently?
CALL 236-1222, ext. 7300.
All suspicious incidents are tracked in this department, so it's always wise to let them know about an incident, even after the fact.

Neighbourhood Watch Archives:

• Notice to all Manor Park Block Captains. (May 2005)
• Neighbourhood Watch (March. 2005)
• Neighbourhood Watch (Jan. 2005)
• Neighbourhood Watch (Nov. 2004)
• Neighbourhood Watch (Sept. 2004)