Hamilton Police are beefing up their force by adding eight new officers to tackle traffic problems within the city.

Talking to the councillors’ budget committee Jan. 23, Hamilton Police Chief Eric Girt said the most common concern from residents is about traffic issues.

“Probably 90 per cent of my questions are about e-scooters (and) all the other dimensions of traffic,” said Girt.

He said councillors have also made it a top priority for police to crack down on speeding, protecting cyclists riding in bike lanes from motor vehicles driving too close, and stopping trucks that are illegally dumping material in rural areas.

He said the city has also adopted its Vision Zero plan to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries to zero. That means officers are focusing on the top three traffic concerns: distracted driving, aggressive driving and speeding.

“These are issues that require expertise,” said Girt.

He said an example of the police’s presence in a high traffic area — in this case Macklin and Main streets near Westdale Secondary School — resulted in a “calming” effect for drivers and pedestrians.

Another example of how the police can make a difference in traffic calming is when two officers targeted the Red Hill and Lincoln Alexander parkways during a 40-week period last year. The result was a 45-per-cent reduction in collisions, 4,695 tickets — with an average fine of $220 — issued, earning an estimated $462,222 in revenue. The cost of the project was about $360,000 for the two officers working seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Hamilton council last June agreed to invest an initial $150,000 toward the extra traffic enforcement on the Red Hill Valley Parkway in the aftermath of the revelation of that a consultant’s report on the roadway had been buried for nearly six years.

Councillors also reduced the speed limit on the Red Hill from 90 km/h to 80 km/h.