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"Summer is around the corner and that means it’s construction season again. For many of our members, the roads are their workplaces, which is why the MGEU/NUPGE joined this campaign — to make their workplaces as safe as possible." — Wally Fletcher, MGEU 1st Vice-President.
Winnipeg (22 May 2014) — The ninth annual SAFE Roads campaign, a joint initiative to raise awareness of the safety of workers on Manitoba’s roads, kicked off in mid-May.
SAFE Roads campaign reminds drivers to slow down when passing construction projects, road workers and emergency responders
The campaign is targeted at motorists across Manitoba, reminding them to slow down when driving past construction projects, road maintenance workers and emergency responders.
"Summer is around the corner and that means it’s construction season again,” says Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union (MGEU/NUPGE) 1st Vice-President Wally Fletcher. “For many of our members, the roads are their workplaces, which is why the MGEU/NUPGE joined this campaign — to make their workplaces as safe as possible.”
The SAFE Roads campaign includes radio, billboard and transit bus ads urging speeding motorists to slow down. It also intends to raise awareness of the idea that Manitoba’s roads are workplaces for many employees. The ads feature the message, "This is my workplace. Slow down."
Changes to highway traffic rules will penalize drivers and mean additional $5 for every kilometre over the speed limit
Recent changes to the Highway Traffic Act, which took effect on May 16, also support the SAFE Roads campaign by setting additional penalties for failing to slow down in construction zones. Offenders caught speeding will have an additional five dollars added to the base fine for every kilometer recorded over the speed limit.
New road signs will also be posted requiring drivers to slow down regardless if there are workers on site or not. These signs will replace the previous signs that required drivers to slow down only when passing workers.
The SAFE Roads campaign is a joint initiative by community stakeholders. The entire list can be found here.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE