Bill 181 2014

An Act to require the establishment of an advisory committee to make recommendations to the Minister of Transportation and the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services for the improvement of highway incident management

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

Advisory committee on highway incident management

   1.  (1)  The Minister of Transportation, the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services and the Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police shall, within 60 days after this Act receives Royal Assent, establish an advisory committee to analyse highway incident management and to develop a comprehensive program for the improvement of highway incident management.

Composition

   (2)  The committee shall be composed of persons that the Ministers and Commissioner believe will make useful contributions to the committee's work including,

  (a)  persons with knowledge and expertise in highway incident management; and

  (b)  persons representing organizations or entities with an interest in highway incident management, including municipalities, police forces, emergency medical services and other road users.

Remuneration and expenses of committee members

   (3)  The Lieutenant Governor in Council may by regulation prescribe remuneration and payment of expenses for the committee members.

Report by committee

   (4)  On or before the day that is eight months after the committee is established, the committee shall report to the Minister of Transportation and the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services on its analysis and conclusions for the improvement of highway incident management, and shall include in the report recommendations respecting the following:

    1.  Providing public education programs to improve driver behaviour in circumstances involving highway incidents.

    2.  Reducing the time for appropriate authorities to detect and verify highway incidents and to clear highways after the occurrence of highway incidents.

    3.  Providing timely and accurate information about highway incidents to drivers.

    4.  Enhancing the safety and security of Ontario's highways.

Ministers to inform Assembly on implementation of committee's recommendations

   (5)  On or before the day that is 60 days after the committee reports to the Ministers, the Minister of Transportation and the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services shall each inform the Assembly of the recommendations in the report that he or she will implement.

Definition

   (6)  In this Act,

"highway incident" means anything that disrupts the smooth flow of traffic and endangers drivers, emergency personnel, tow truck drivers, highway repair and maintenance workers and other persons on a highway, and includes a disabled vehicle, an accident, a spill, debris, a flood, a major special event and highway repair and maintenance activities.

Commencement

   2.  This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short title

   3.  The short title of this Act is the Reducing Gridlock and Improving Traffic Flow Act, 2014.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Bill requires the Minister of Transportation, the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services and the Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police to establish an advisory committee to analyse highway incident management and to develop a comprehensive program to improve it.  The committee is to be established within 60 days after the Bill gets Royal Assent and must report to the two Ministers within eight months after its establishment.  The committee's report must make recommendations on the following:

    1.   Providing public education programs to improve driver behaviour in circumstances involving highway incidents.

    2.   Reducing the time for appropriate authorities to detect and verify highway incidents and to clear highways after the occurrence of highway incidents.

    3.   Providing timely and accurate information about highway incidents to drivers.

    4.   Enhancing the safety and security of Ontario's highways.

Within 60 days after receiving the advisory committee's report, each Minister must inform the Assembly of the recommendations that he or she will implement.