Stop signs and other roadside notifications are put there to keep motorists and pedestrians safe.
When one is knocked down, it presents all of us with a problem.
On the one hand, a sign’s absence is a nuisance to the public works employees who have to figure out what is missing, where it is missing from and of course, what to do about it.
This week, the temperature is negative double-digits in case the AccuWeather forecast did not work for you.
In other words, having to go out and replace a sign that someone knocked down through an ill-advised stupidity leak is a real pain in the butt.
If it is a curving-road sign or a yield sign that is missing or destroyed through someone’s malevolence, that’s one thing.
Taking down a stop sign is much, much more dangerous.
Let’s be real for a minute and really think about the implications.
It is a health risk, a safety hazard and a criminal action all rolled into one.
At the last county council meeting I attended, I heard that a stop sign in deputy reeve Bill Lee’s division had been deliberately knocked down.
From what I understand this isn’t the first time it has happened throughout the county and I daresay it isn’t the first time it has happened in the province.
I’m in complete agreement with County of Barrhead public works Supt. Cal Fischer in that I believe whomever is responsible should be held accountable.
In 1996, a friend of mine lost his older sister in a cement truck-Ford Escort collision, while in 2007, a different friend nearly lost both of his parents due to a blown down stop sign.
In both cases, the signs in question were absent and just like the situation appears to be here, it is due to someone’s terrible decision making.
What if it is your parents, family members or friends who died?
It wouldn’t be as funny then would it?
Like Barrhead RCMP Const. Natalie Tung says in a different story on Page 11, it is up to all of us to remain vigilant and to report suspicious behaviour when we see it.
I encourage all of you to do so.
