I firmly
believe more people should go for a walk in Clarenville.
Walking
gives you a much better perspective on our surroundings and it gives you time
to think about – on one hand - just how lucky we are to live here – and on the
other hand – some of the challenges we face.
Take, for example the Harbour walk around the inner Shoal Harbour. Each evening, this trail is full of walkers enjoying the views – the ocean, the occasional eagle, ducks etc. This trail was not an accident. Some visionary people saw the potential for this trail walk and about 10 years ago through a well-organized effort, they turned their vision into the reality that we enjoy today. Those are the things and the people that make our town a very livable community – and we are lucky for that.
But as you
walk, you will also notice a very worrisome trend that is not being
addressed. Traffic volumes have jumped
exponentially in the past decade and most worrisomely, the average speed of
traffic has increased as well. People
literally fly along, through school zones, through neighbourhoods and through
crosswalks at often breakneck speeds. Speed Limit signs, where they exist, seem to
be being largely ignored.
Last week,
Wilson Wiseman, a long-time resident of Huntley Drive, wrote a letter to the
PACKET about this issue, comparing his (my) street to an airport runway. He’s absolutely right. Walk down Huntley’s sidewalk (or any Clarenville sidewalk
for that matter) and it will become instantly obvious that many drivers have
become oblivious to their speed and the speed limit.
Some would
argue we need a greater RCMP presence and they are right, but ultimately the onus
needs to be put back on the driver to ensure that he/she drives in a safe and
legal manner. It’s simple common sense.
To build on common sense the Town of Gander purchased a portable electronic sign that displays people’s speeds to them as they drive towards it – the idea being to get the driver to self-regulate his/her speed.
Noticing the positive results from this, I
proposed in my 2013 pre-Budget submission that Clarenville buy one of these units (It’s an $18000 unit). I was glad to see that
the Town saw merit in this when in his 2013 Budget, Finance Chair John Pickett
said that Town would indeed buy one. Halfway through the year and I have not seen the sign yet – but we need it and we
need it used on our streets in the worst kind of way.
Drivers need to be educated and I feel that sign coupled with RCMP enforcement would be an important tool in that education.
In the
meantime:
- Go for a walk, notice the sights and notice the traffic
- Reflect on just how fast you drive.
- I’m asking the Town, Where’s that sign and when will it be deployed?
- I’m asking the RCMP to sit,watch and ticket.
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| From THE PACKET www.thepacket.ca July 11, 2013 |
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