A London Police Service media release:
Summertime is construction time in London and this year seems to have an unusual amount of sites interfering with the flow of traffic. Police are strongly urging all motorists to plan ahead, avoid routes where know construction sites exists and be patient. It’s not just motorists that are getting upset. Yesterday at approximately 10:00am police were called to Farnham Road where an elderly gentlemen was fed up with construction trucks using his road getting to and farm the job site. The 73 yr old man called police for assistance but in the meantime he took it upon himself to step out in front of dump trucks prevented their use of the road.
Police attended and found out that the City had given this job site a three day “exemption” from Heavy Truck Route bylaw which allowed these heavy trucks to use this residential road. The 73 yr old male was told this but indicated that he couldn’t put up with the trucks any longer. He was warned not to interfere with the trucks. When the police left, the male again stepped out onto the road in order to prevent the trucks from using the street. Police attended and charged the gentlemen with “interfering with traffic” under the city bylaw. Again he was warned and yet again as soon as the police left he block more trucks. He was given another ticket, this time with a court date. Again he was warned.
At approximately 1:15pm the officer found the man once again out in the middle of the road blocking traffic and he was arrested for the criminal offence of “public mischief” for interfering with the use of the roadway. He was taken into custody, to the police station and then released from the courts later with a court date of August 5th.
Sgt Tom O’Brien