BEND, OR -- Bend Police will continue increased traffic patrols on the Parkway through Monday. Chief Mike Krantz says it’s an effort to improve safety for everyone, "What we’re seeing now is heavier traffic, speeds that are still very high and - I think we had statistics around 200 collisions in the last couple years involving someone in the Parkway. Not all of those, of course, are speed related but speed does have a factor in a lot of factors, and also it increases severity of crashes."

Even if you’re annoyed with the 45 MPH speed limit, Chief Krantz says speeding on the Parkway is dangerous, "Forty-five is specifically intended for the Parkway for a number of reasons, mostly around the engineering of the Parkway. It was not created as a freeway, like I-5, so speeds similar to I-5 aren’t appropriate. There’s no physical divider in that area, so obviously [it's] more concerning at high speeds.

In the first nine days of the "safety blitz," Krantz says officers had very little time between tickets, "We have consistently seen speeds in the 60s, 70s and 80s, and those are receiving citations. When we’re getting people in the 70s and 80s, especially - that’s 30 MPH over the speed limit."

Through Monday, BPD expects to have at least two officers enforcing Parkway speed limits every day; 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. on weekdays and 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. 

Click HERE to listen to our full conversation with Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz.