South Shuswap volunteers ready to spring into Speed Watch program

There’ll be more eyes monitoring traffic and on the lookout for speeding drivers this summer in the South Shuswap.

Blind Bay resident Syd Loeppky was said he was speaking with a neighbour on Monday, March 15, about how it was a year ago when a driver lost control on Golf Course Drive. Their vehicle launched off a frozen snow bank and landed on two vehicles parked in front of a residence.

The incident gave further purpose to the newly formed Blind Bay Citizens Patrol (BBCP) group.

Now in its second year, volunteers with the not-for-profit society have kept busy with foot and vehicle patrols in Blind Bay and Eagle Bay, as well as sharing information through its Facebook page. This spring, they’ll also be stationed roadside in varying locations, including Golf Course Drive, as the BBCP’s Speed Watch program gets underway.

Loeppky, a volunteer with the BBCP, said the group didn’t proceed with the program sooner due, in part, to the pandemic. But also because a permit to run the program was required from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

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“What we did – a number of us trained with a Speed Watch group in Salmon Arm, we’ve got the routine down, the procedure and so on,” said Leoppky, explaining the group provides extra sets of ears and eyes for the RCMP, which it reports to.

“I know that they are all committed to being out in the community as much as they can during these challenging times,” said Salmon Arm RCMP Staff Sgt. Scott West of the BBCP. “Their extra eyes and ears will help the local RCMP gain valuable information on what is going in and around the Blind Bay Area. We thank them for their efforts to help us help the community.”

Loeppky said the group’s permit for the Speed Watch program allows them to run it throughout Blind Bay and Eagle Bay, but not along Highway 1.