This column is written as correspondence between Maddy the Motorist and Patty the Pedestrian
Dear Patty:
I was driving south on Western Avenue approaching Blair Street when a pedestrian pushed the button to cross. The lights flashed amber so I stopped to let the pedestrian go.
She crossed but the light kept flashing so I had to wait even longer. Why can’t they shorten the time it flashes so I can get going again? It is a real nuisance!
Better yet, the pedestrian crossing was fine before they put those flashers there.
Then on Mackenzie Avenue there is that darn median by the new crosswalk going to the pedestrian bridge. If walkers want exercise, why don’t they cross at Highway 20 instead!
Signed; Maddy the Motorist
Dear Maddy.
My, my what we can get upset about! I can see that as a motorist, you see that as a pain.
Well, I think it is a pretty minor first world problem for the privileged who drive.
Have you ever walked those routes?
Maybe that is why you don’t see it from a pedestrian’s perspective. You haven’t walked in my shoes.
The new lights on Western at Blair are because too many drivers weren’t stopping for pedestrians at all. The time has to be set for slower walkers, so sometimes it is going to be longer than a person needs, but imagine if it was someone pushing a stroller, or a person using a mobility device.
Within a few blocks of there we have three schools and a university campus. This crossing is about keeping all those people safe.
Mackenzie and Highway 20, near the pedestrian bridge, has a high collision rate; this is the crossing you suggest pedestrians walk out of their way to go instead. To wait a few seconds for the safely of pedestrians does not seem like a heavy burden when all you have to do is press a brake pedal and then press a gas pedal. It literally takes seconds —is the safety of us, your fellow citizens worth the wait? We hope so!
Two pedestrian crossings we already have are not working properly. Watch out at Oliver and 8th Avenue North because the pedestrian lights haven’t worked in at least six months.
Also, please watch out for pedestrians who want to cross Mackenzie at Oliver; the pedestrian crossing lights there have not worked for about a month now as well.
Happy, considerate motoring, Maddy, and thanks for the brake.
Signed; Patty the Pedestrian
Bert Groenenberg is a pedestrian, cyclist and motorist.
