After spending half a decade living in small-town Alberta, it’s nice to be spending some time back in the big city. Well, St. Albert isn’t that big a city but after several years in the Peace Country and in Westlock, it’s big enough.
One of the things I noticed almost immediately in doing my daily commute from Westlock, which will hopefully be a short-lived necessity, is the drivers in St. Albert seem to actually be really on the ball. Nobody follows me too closely, people drive the speed limit for the most part and other drivers seem keen to let you in after you’ve foolishly forgotten to get into the turning lane.
I’ve mentioned this to several people and got reactions ranging from perplexed looks of disbelief to outright guffaws, but I’m telling you it’s true. Try driving out in the sticks where a lot of the time, people can’t seem to tell the difference between their country lane and the residential street in front of the local elementary school.
One of the first places I noticed this on the first day I drove here is outside Ecole Marie Poburan during the morning rush hour. Suddenly all the cars in front of me were doing 30 km/h or less, and before I saw the school-zone sign I was cursing at them.
Of course, once I saw the sign I had to curse myself and hit the brakes. But it’s not just at that particular school, I’ve noticed this at many others as well. It could just be that the local constabulary has been out in force with the radar guns and cracking down appropriately, but this week it dawned on me there might be something more to this.
In September 2013, while I was undoubtedly at the breakfast table with my wife and two kids, I read a tragic news story about a young boy struck and killed in a crosswalk on his way to school. It’s a parent’s worst nightmare, a driver’s worst nightmare, and without a doubt an emergency responder’s worst nightmare.
It wasn’t until I started working in St. Albert that it has become clear this was a tragedy that shook the community to its core. I remembered the “what” from the story – how could anyone forget? – and with city council approving the 864-page Safe Journeys to School document, the “where” became clear.
The crosswalk by the school I drive past every morning, where drivers seem so cautious and attentive, was the site of an unthinkable tragedy some 18 months ago.
I’d like to think that my initial assessment of drivers in this area is correct, and they’re motivated by their own firm commitments to traffic safety.
Yet I can’t help but think this tragedy may be at least partly responsible for the extreme caution I see around St. Albert school zones. I guess the end result is good, but it’s an unfortunate part of human nature that it sometimes takes a tragedy for us to exercise some common sense.
Doug Neuman is a reporter with the St. Albert Gazette.
