Contrary to Mr. Heit’s letter to the editor, it is my opinion that there is a difference between being a timid driver and being an aware and considerate one.
I understand that the original basis of Mr. Heit’s letter was in response to an editorial in the Gazette regarding the temporary merge resulting from construction on Boudreau Rd.
A more permanent, but similar, situation happens just after the intersection of 137th Ave. and 184th Street coming into St. Albert. I take Ray Gibbon to the Henday and back for work and I see on a daily basis the drivers who have a “me first” attitude, especially at this intersection.
It is ridiculous to say that the drivers who race by the long queue of patiently waiting cars do this because they are so worldly enlightened that they assume there is a mandatory zipper merge or are oblivious to the fact that, believe it or not, the right lane ends every single day. It would appear that these drivers just don’t want to wait with the rest of us cattle.
It’s not about showing everyone how to zipper merge or what the road rules are in Minnesota and Europe, it’s an excuse for those who believe they are just that more important and are unapologetically making “fairly good time going home”.
If this intersection, where I’m surprised there aren’t more accidents, had a posted mandatory zipper merge sign as they do in Vancouver or Calgary then the drivers would merge accordingly.
This is not the case. It falls to the drivers here to be patient and courteous and not go racing by the lineup of vehicles that have been waiting since the overpass only to cut people off at the front. Do I think as someone blows by me, “Hey, that guy must have just returned from Belgium where he honed his zipper merging ability!”
Nope, I’m thinking, “Hey, there goes another super important entitled donkey’s butt”. Luckily for the drivers that have Mr. Heit’s prevalent attitude that one of those considerate drivers at the front of line let them in so they could get home to whatever life-saving procedure they had planned for that evening. Obviously their time is much more important than the rest of ours.
Jacquie Glenn, St. Albert
