George Zimmerman probably knows Stickle Road better than anyone.
He’s lived on the west side of the road since 1950 and he has seen first-hand the traffic volume grow yearly and the speed skyrocket. He’s risked his life turning right on to Highway 97 to go into Vernon and navigating left to go north.
What he never shakes is the sound of vehicles colliding and emergency sirens responding. He’s seen the injuries and white sheets covering the dead.
Zimmerman is known for being straight forward and not exaggerating. He calls a spade a spade, and he’s increasingly concerned about conditions along the highway.
“Any time you need entertainment for the afternoon, come and join me on my patio and hear the tires screeching and horns blasting,” he said.
And perhaps that is an invitation Zimmerman needs to formally extend.
Maybe Zimmerman’s perspective about the risks at Stickle Road and what needs to be done would make more sense if local officials were in his shoes, even if it was for just a few hours.
MLA Eric Foster, regional district director Bob Fleming and Mayor Akbal Mund could sit on Zimmerman’s patio and see exactly what goes on instead of just looking at the graphs and maps thrown out by the Ministry of Transportation to justify no action on a traffic signal.
And when they were done, instead of hitting the highway and turning right to go into Vernon, they should try to head north and see how long it takes for a break in the traffic before they can go left. Will it be a white-knuckle experience as a semi bears down on them as they cross lanes?
Zimmerman cringes when he sees vehicles trying to turn left from the west side of Stickle Road.
“My only hope is I don’t hear that big bang afterwards. Frustration by drivers is what brings on this activity,” he said.
I have written at length about Stickle Road in previous columns, and some will suggest I’m flogging a dead horse.
But for numerous residents, the issue isn’t over.
Letters to the editor come in almost daily to our office, and while some are supportive of the ministry, 90 to 95 per cent are opposed and want a traffic signal. Routine stops at the grocery store or the mall have people stopping me to vent.
If the paper’s activities are being dominated by Stickle, it would be interesting to know how many calls, e-mails and letters Foster, Mund and Fleming are receiving over the issue. Are they being stopped in the street by people and what are they being told?
Many people feel frustrated that even after three ministry open houses, they aren’t being listened to. It’s often brought up that Foster hasn’t been to any of the sessions to hear directly from the residents.
Maybe it’s time for Zimmerman to put the coffee on and invite Foster and other local officials to sit with him and watch the traffic go by.
And if that happens, maybe they will think differently about Stickle Road than what the bureaucrats tell them.