Safety should be a priority no matter what road a person travels on.
Whether it is a school zone, a main thoroughfare, or a side street in a subdivision, posted limits and stoplights are there for a reason.
Ignoring them can result in serious injury and fines, suspension of your licence or worse.
And yet I have personally seen several instances in the last week alone where motorists have displayed a dangerous disregard for the town’s bylaws and the regular rules of the road.
In one such instance an individual behind the wheel of a truck did not even bother to wait until the light on 51 Street changed from red to green before plowing through the intersection.
Another instance involved two pickup trucks and a lot of unnecessary swerving and other reckless driving near the Barrhead Agrena.
These infractions are occurring more and more often as the snow conditions on the ground become worse, despite the fact it is clearly evident, at least to me, that common sense would dictate patience and slower speeds are required.
It makes me wonder where pedestrian safety or the lives of children factors into these negligent behaviours?
In my opinion it is important to display the aforementioned patience at intersections, at stoplights and crosswalks, et cetera and to keep your speeds at or below the posted limit, not only for your own safety, but also for the safety of those others around you.
How can that be so hard to understand?
I spoke with Alberta Transportation’s community mobilization specialist Colleen Delany regarding intersection safety tips and you can read that story on Page 12A.
She had a lot of interesting things to say.
Perhaps it is time for the town’s peace officers to start sitting at the main street intersections, along with the other ‘golden’ zones they continuously monitor.
Or maybe the town should install cameras to catch individuals who ‘jump the gun’ at these lights instead.
Either way, it doesn’t look like common sense is in large supply these days.
Someone is bound to get hurt if driving patterns do not change.
