NNSL (DEC 20/96) - A Yellowknife snowmobiler found out Tuesday night it doesn't pay to speed on Frame Lake.

Justice of the Peace Vince Dumont fined 35-year-old David Loney $500 for speeding and $100 for failing to stop for an emergency vehicle.

It's a record fine under the city's snowmobile bylaw that allows fines of up to $5,000 for going 51 kilometres per hour or more over the speed limit.

Loney, who was operating a 1996 Polaris Ultra, was clocked doing 120 km/h on the lake, which is a 30-km/h zone.

Bylaw constables laid both charges Dec. 10, using a new $1,300 hand-held radar gun.

Until this winter constables have been unable to catch many speeders because of their equipment wasn't up to job, said supervisory bylaw constable Larry Webber.

"With this new hand-held radar unit, which is extremely accurate and portable, it's almost easy. We pretty much just have to be there," said Webber.

Bylaw constables have been hitting the snowmobile trails in strength all month, concentrating much of their post-daylight enforcement efforts on traffic-heavy Frame Lake.

With pedestrians, skiers and snowmobiles all vying for a piece of the frozen body of water, Webber said without enforcement another tragedy is all too likely.

The bylaw was developed after the December 1992 death of assistant fire marshall Scott Toohey, 36, killed at 5:15 p.m. on Frame Lake by a speeding 16-year-old snowmobiler.

The teen pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and was given a term of probation.

However, at the close of the May 6, 1993, sentencing hearing, territorial court Judge Brian Bruser lashed out at lawmakers for not making Frame Lake more safe.

"Perhaps it is time for those responsible for drafting and enacting our laws to do something about the unacceptable situation on Frame Lake," said Bruser.

"It is beyond the court to say what form that law could take, but the public should know that in my view, the time is long overdue that something be done."

Webber said that while a bylaw is now in place to regulate snowmobile activities, many people have learned nothing from the Toohey tragedy.

"Our guys have found that far too many people are out there speeding, and this is the darkest time of the year," said Webber.

"You only have to be going 50 to 60 kilometres per hour to overdrive your headlight, and then you can't see much of anything, much less a pedestrian."

And while speeding snowmobilers constitute the majority of the problem, Webber said many pedestrians aren't helping by wearing dark, non-reflective clothing.

Constables who have been out on the lake early in the morning and in the afternoon and evening hours have received rude responses when they've suggested pedestrians wear reflective tape on their clothing.

"We're just trying to keep everyone safe and I don't really understand why there would be so much resistance to something that just makes sense," said Webber.