Actually Vic Ritchie, you have understated the problems with bad drivers in the Capital Region, and specifically St. Albert, (Gazette, May 23). It’s easily worse than you described.
I routinely drive these streets. Most evenings, I walk a route in the northwest quadrant of St. Albert. The driving behaviour that is evident every day and evening is atrocious. Cellphone use, actively consuming drugs while driving, reckless speeding and complete disregard for anyone else in our city has become a norm. In the last year, I have seen numerous vehicles travelling in this area, all in 50 km/hr. zones, in excess of 100 km/hr., and in one case, well in excess of 150 km/hr.
Why the increased disregard for rules and courtesy? It could be a misplaced attitude of entitlement, only concerned about their own progress, acting as though the rules are only for all others. It could be they’re driving their new model vehicles with childish glee, perhaps thrilled with loud exhaust and dramatic acceleration.
We have all ages and both genders ignoring their social contract – to say nothing of the rules – that expects them to give a reasonable notice for what they would like to do on the roadway. Either their left hand is occupied with a phone, or they simply don’t care. I think for most, it is the latter. Their conscience doesn’t seem to influence any obligation to signal. Pausing long enough to allow others to co-operate and make space for a lane change is only a theory.
Unfortunately, we have allowed our politicians to let traffic enforcement slide, primarily due to some reluctance to pay for adequate policing. We have allowed photo radar to substitute for real policing. And it won’t get better unless we demand attention to the problem.
Speed enforcement in this city by either RCMP, Community Police Officers or Municipal Enforcement is totally inadequate. Those who speed with abandon are often smart enough to figure out where the photo radar is. Slow down temporarily, and they’re home free. For those who are caught, the consequences are simply an annoyance.
Traffic enforcement generally is absent. You probably notice extensive cellphone use, changing lanes by forcing others out of the way, failing to stop before entering a roadway, or many other potentially dangerous driving behaviours. The part that is missing is officers conducting the necessary vehicle stops.
The only realistic expectation of changing driver behaviour is to impose immediate consequences, with demerits. That’s not happening.
Compounding this phenomenon is the recent social engineering efforts of our city traffic planners. The absolute constipation of traffic flow along and across the St. Albert Trail has now prompted some to simply ignore arrows or lights. The outcome is that we have another layer of dangerous driving manoeuvres happening daily on our streets, with no consequences to those who ignore the rules.
Undoubtedly, we need more police attention focused on our driving public, at all hours of the day. If more “active watching” was going on, untold numbers of dangerous driving behaviours could be curtailed. St. Albert politicians are failing dismally in their responsibility to protect the kids, pedestrians and other users of our city’s streets.
It’s time to let your council representative hear from you. And, it’s time for reasonable drivers to say, “enough already.”
Al Bohachyk, St. Albert
