This column is written as correspondence between Maddy the Motorist and Patty the Pedestrian
Dear Patty,
The pedestrian lights on Mackenzie at Oliver have been down for a month!? Oliver at Eighth for more than six months!
At the mill, when an electric motor breaks down, we usually swap it out with a new one in about an hour. We simply can’t afford down time.
Does the city not have the hardware to swap out the failed units? Yet they decided on further cuts to our capital budgets.
You asked if I walk near Western and Blair. The only walking I do is on the job. Or shopping. For the rest I drive everywhere. So, no, I don’t know what it is like to be a pedestrian.
A few weeks ago, you mentioned about a type of crosswalk sign they have in Ontario with better lighting. Would that be an option?
Oliver Street and Mackenzie Avenue are two of our busiest streets. Safety must be at risk for you and other walkers.
As safety is always job number one at work, it should also be number one on the streets for our kids, elderly and moms with strollers. Life is precious.
Sorry about my rant last time.
Signed; Maddy the Motorist
Dear Maddy,
Thanks for understanding. It is by sharing our experiences that we learn from each other.
The Ontario crosswalk sign would be great on busy arterial roads. Oliver and Mackenzie are such roads and maybe on Western at Blair because it is close to schools.
I also suggest a defensive driving video. It is called Defensive Driving: Pedestrians; it has three parts. Here is the link on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or6G1gDKjrc. As you will notice, it comes out of Quebec and is made for their driver’s test. It is very thorough.
Happy viewing, Maddie!
Signed; Patty the Pedestrian
Bert Groenenberg has walked, cycled and driven in Williams Lake for almost 35 years.
