Ontario Blue Light Initiative

[polo_762]

Hello All,

I just came across some info concerning the Ontario Blue Light initiative...just wondering if anyone here any information/comments on it. All I know is that its being pushed hard by Peel Regional Police, and that its simply attempting to get blue lights switched from snowplow applications to police applications (so red/blue on cruisers).

All I can think of is: if this goes through then there will be a hell of a lot of blue lights hanging around from people who have purchased them for plowing...anyone else see a potential problem there?

Just looking to start a discussion, I'm interested in hearing your thoughts.

 

[phyberoptics]

Yep, police cars are getting hit from all angles, and part of the theory is that red and amber lights are likened to drunk-magnets.

Years ago, Peel cars had the red wig-wags changed out to amber, and there was a noticable reduction in collisions.

Here's a PDF file on the initiative, authored by Peel Police.
http://www.ogra.org/lib/db2file.asp?fileid=15584

The document explains that blue is better visible at night which is when many collisions with police vehicles occur. So the blue lights would be effective at night, and the red lights during the day.

 

[polo_762]

Its funny....I see a lot of peel cars with a combo of red/amber wig wags in the back, wonder if its actualy safer....but then, I also see a lot of cops (anywhere) on traffic stops with arrow-sticks not being used, no wig wags, nothing....seems that safety awareness has increased...
I have to admit those blue LEDs on the snowplows do pierce through in the night...

 

[I_10_92]

Well if they switch them to blue, they will have to change the driver's test you take to get your G1.. and that in its self will take YEARS of research and millions of dollars to come up with a new question to replace the old.

Slow plows already drive like maniacs, I heard of one security company putting snow shovels in the back of their cars and making it part of the guard's duties to 'shovel' a walkway of a cliet... thus.. snow removal and thus being allowes (sort of) to have blue dash lights..

 

[Jammin_Jay]

Well if u look out west at the RCMP, they have blue lights on one side of the car and red on the other side. The same with Surete de Quebec, provincial police, and montreal police as well. It would seem in Ontario, i may be wrong, but OPP, toronto police, ottawa police and other juristictions in ontario, use red, orange (amber), and white. NO blue. Even the state police, and sherrifs dept in the US, use red and blue, but not ontario.

 

[polo_762]

Well if u look out west at the RCMP, they have blue lights on one side of the car and red on the other side. The same with Surete de Quebec, provincial police, and montreal police as well. It would seem in Ontario, i may be wrong, but OPP, toronto police, ottawa police and other juristictions in ontario, use red, orange (amber), and white. NO blue. Even the state police, and sherrifs dept in the US, use red and blue, but not ontario.

Well yeah, everything in Ontario would be the same because the Highway Traffic Act is a provincial law.

What do you think the odds are of this resulting in a new law/change to the HTA?

 

[koi_v]

They should get rid of the strobe type lights and go back to a rotary light. Much easier to spot .

 

[benjaminfs733]

I have heard of lights bar developments where the color changes according to the conditions, ie: more red for day time and more blue for night, thus providing the optimum color for any situation. Although I have not seen these used or even produced, I read about it somewhere. Not a bad idea, although still would not help knowing the difference between a snow plow and police car.

 

[boomboy64]

The same with Surete de Quebec, provincial police, and montreal police as well.

We used to get a lot of stick for this. In the mid-90s I was a member of the military EOD team in Ottawa and we had a big white truck with lots of flashing lights. As we were based on the Ontario side of the bridge, we naturally had red everywhere, but we used to get a lot of grief when responding to the Quebec side for not running red/blue. In their minds, we were not fire/EMS, but 'police'-like. But we couldn't run any blue on the Ontario side, so to satisfy everyone, we just set up one of our front grill lights with a blue lens. We had a black elastic cover that we kept on in Ontario, but took off when crossing the bridge to Quebec.

What a pain...

 

[itsme]

Peel

Saw a Peel Criuser with blue strobes on it the other day @Courtney Park and Kennedy and wondered what that was all about.
Could it be a test car?

 

[exkalibur]

Saw a Peel Criuser with blue strobes on it the other day @Courtney Park and Kennedy and wondered what that was all about.
Could it be a test car?

No, it's an airport car. At any airport in the world, when there's low visibility (ie, fog, rain, etc...), any vehicle which is airside MUST display a blue strobe.

 

[polo_762]

Gotta love the airport system, everything standardized, no matter what country, no confusion.

 

[Mike445]

I have heard of lights bar developments where the color changes according to the conditions, ie: more red for day time and more blue for night, thus providing the optimum color for any situation. Although I have not seen these used or even produced, I read about it somewhere. Not a bad idea, although still would not help knowing the difference between a snow plow and police car.

They are in use in Florida. The FHP is switching out all their old lightbars to this style you mentioned.
Mike

 

[conundrum]

Just for reference, heres what the Demo police car looks like and what the Airport car looks like...

Peel Police Demo Red/Blue Cruiser

Peel Police Airport Criuser

 

[feedbak]

Much better....

 

[phyberoptics]

saa-weeet

 

[exkalibur]

Well, it looks pretty good, but as others here have said...it would be a lengthy process to get the laws changed.

Think about it. How many snow removal vehicles would have to replace blue with amber? Not just public (MTO/AMC) but private as well. Then think of how many police vehicles would have to replace/retrofit blue into their setup.

Financially, it would be a nightmare. Legally (that is, getting the laws changed) would be an even bigger nightmare.

Lastly, getting the public to realize that blue = police would take awhile. These days when you see blue, you think snow plow...it'd be hard to chanve that perception overnight.