I would like to comment on two items in your Feb. 2 editorial pages.
Firstly, I agree with the letter by Garry Haas completely! To consider building an arts gallery/museum before building a new police station is poor and neglectful prioritization. The RCMP have had to rent storage space; that was in the news way back when they were asking for a new facility. There is overcrowding, inadequate parking for them as well as the public, and crowded work space. How can the citizenry expect, in good conscience, to build the other two public spaces first? Now there are six additional bodies to squeeze into that horrible little building. I am not affiliated with the police in any way, but I see what I see.
Secondly, I will comment on the editorial by Barry Gerding. Bad driving habits are the norm. By observing any intersection, street or roadway in or out of town, one will see a plethora of traffic violations. Illegal lane changes at intersections, running amber and red lights, no signaling, illegal parking, not stopping behind the stop line but eight feet in front of it, cutting corners, passing on solid lines, hogging the passing lanes, driving over the line, distracted driving, etc.
The world is becoming lawless because we are allowed to be. There are rarely consequences for bad driving. Perhaps an accident may teach a few a lesson, but I don’t believe it affects the majority. And both drivers pay instead of the bad driver. Insurance rates have recently gone up again and now we face another ICBC fiasco.
It is not just speeding that causes accidents. There should be some kind of law enforcement on the look-out for the above-mentioned incidents to prevent the “minor” or maybe not so minor accidents that occur every day. Some are not reported.
The attitude of too many drivers is one of self-absorption to the point where others on the road are an inconvenience to them. They do what they want and too bad if you don’t like it. Driving is a privilege that we prove we are capable of doing by a road test. The rules do not disappear once the licence is given.
I have been told that an officer can spend several hours a day doing paper work based on traffic violations. They get tied up doing that and are not out on the streets doing other parts of their jobs. My complaint is with the system that ignores traffic violations to the extent that complacency has been allowed to flourish unchecked.
Perhaps a solution is to hire more bylaw officers and equip them with camera-mounted vehicles to patrol the roadways. Give them the power to fine these drivers. I also think a separate court should be introduced to deal with traffic violations and save the courthouses for other issues.
Surely someone should be able to come up with a better solution. Citizens should be demanding such from our politicians.
Ev Reade