Re: It’s a kamikaze gong show.
I would like to follow up regarding this story in the Nov. 5 edition of the Gazette because I want to ensure that my passion for pedestrian safety is not misconstrued as maniacal. This is a serious matter that concerns us all and needs to be treated as such. I would also like to clarify points from the article. As the anniversary of Thomas’ death approached back in September, I offered the Gazette an opportunity to walk to school with my children and I to observe how driver habits had not changed in the last year and that the various traffic mishaps that continued could easily lead to more pedestrian collisions.
Unfortunately, we never did complete that walk and on Oct. 28 another student was hit (not bumped) nearby. We decided to walk together and observe the morning experience because it was realized that indeed things did not seem to be improving when it came to pedestrian safety. My number one concern that I witness daily is not so much in relation to speed but rather the large number of turning vehicles that simply don’t look for or see pedestrians.
Typically, drivers are busy looking left in order to turn right at the stop sign or at the lights, resulting in their inability to see the pedestrians crossing on their right (rolling stops). Or, drivers are quickly turning left in order to beat a heavy morning flow of traffic coming toward them, resulting in not always observing the pedestrian crossing on their left. This is where my personal experience has shown all the near misses occur.
Furthermore, I do not yell at passing motorists because doing so would be distracting and bring about further danger. I will however occasionally point to the school if a vehicle is proceeding through the zone at very high speeds alerting them that there is a school right there, which often results in them immediately slowing down.
My hope for this article was that all commuters might stop and recognize that the hectic pace of all of our lives is leading to great dangers for our children, and pedestrians in general. I believe that we all, drivers and pedestrians alike, need to stop and think and be more aware of each other to ensure that as a community we are looking out for one another’s safety. This is not a story that needs to be sensationalized; it’s serious enough on its own accord.
Cindy de Bruijn, St. Albert
