Another speeding ticket dismissed because it took too long to get to court

Another Manitoba driver saw his speeding ticket thrown out because of a long wait before his court hearing.

Last week, provincial Judge Anne Krahn dismissed Kevin Yaworski's speeding ticket from March of last year, ruling he faced an "unreasonable delay" in court proceedings after he pleaded not guilty to the ticket in May, 2015 and received a court date for Sept. 20, 2016.

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"It was a huge relief on my shoulders," Yaworski said of the ruling.

"I was very happy and looking forward to this setting a precedent to allow other people to stand up for their rights, and most importantly to allow the city and province to deal with the root causes of the delays."

• Manitoba judge throws out speeding ticket after court delays

Yaworski was ticketed in March for speeding in a school zone.

Long wait

Yaworski is a member of Wise-Up Winnipeg, an advocacy group for people who get traffic tickets. He said long waits for court dates constitute "abusive enforcement," and make it hard for drivers to remember the details of their tickets.

His ticket is the third one this year to be thrown out for unreasonable delays.

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Krahn's ruling comes as the province prepares to appeal a similar ruling from earlier this year, when Manitoba Judge Mary Kate Harvie threw out a ticket from 2014.

Yaworski said he hopes the ruling on his case helps make sure the province loses that fight.

"This comes before that, so it kind of almost makes that a moot point, so it's going to make it very hard for them to be successful with that appeal," he said.

"It gives other people a chance to stand up for their rights in the meantime, rather than have to wait for that decision."

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He said he also wants the ruling to encourage Manitoba drivers to come forward if they're faced with court delays.

"They shouldn't be afraid," he said. "I learned a lot, and people should stand up for their rights. Together we can make a difference."