Drivers crossing bridge illegally

Saskatoon Police issued 39 tickets to unauthorized drivers who used University Bridge in the first three weekdays it was closed.

Eight tickets were doled out on May 4, 20 on May 5 and 11 on May 6, when police officers were stationed at the bridge full-time.

Since then, tickets given to drivers of unauthorized vehicles using the bridge have not been not specifically classified as such, so it’s unclear how many tickets have been written in the last three weeks.

Angela Gardiner, the city’s director of transportation, said there are still reports of drivers crossing the bridge illegally — although perhaps not as many as those first three days — but she doesn’t have data on how many.

“At this point we’re actually seeing fairly good compliance,” she said.

Because officers are no longer stationed at the bridge, unauthorized vehicles are reported to police by construction workers and the drivers of authorized vehicles.

“There’s a lot of different eyes on the street watching the use of that authorized lane,” Gardiner said.

If multiple complaints are received in a short time frame — during morning or evening rush hour, for example — police will be called to the bridge to issue tickets. Gardiner said she does not know how many times that has happened since May 7.

She said there are no plans to station police by the bridge full time again, but that could change if authorized drivers identify unauthorized vehicles as a growing problem.

University Bridge is expected to reopen in September. While crews work, one lane of the bridge remains open for emergency vehicles, public transit, school buses and authorized health region vehicles.

Gardiner said it’s important for people to respect that.

“Emergency response, we want to make sure there’s minimal delays, that they can get to their required destination when seconds really do matter.”

Drivers of unauthorized vehicles will receive $90 fines.