Editor: Langley Township council and staff should all collectively hang their heads in shame over their handling of the “scary intersection” issue in Aldergrove, which has claimed yet another young person’s life. I refer to the traffic fatality deaths of two young persons at the intersection of 256 Street and Robertson Crescent.
Councillor Bob Long’s plea for for an overhead red flashing light at this location fell on deaf ears, and the end result of the collective foot-dragging and excuse-making has been the death of another pedestrian. Maybe he should have begged. Or squawked a bit louder. Or his fellow councillors should have been a bit more receptive to acting outside the advice of the so-called experts.
Either way, an opportunity to step up and do the right thing was missed. A life had already been lost at that dangerous intersection a couple of years earlier and that fact alone should have been more than enough to cause the Township to place some kind of additional traffic signal at that location. The fact that they did not act, even after the issue was brought up by a sitting councillor is appalling and utterly shameful.
Why does it always seem to take a complete disaster occurring before people in office will act and do the right thing in the name of public safety?
In the end, it’s all just too little too late. I’m sure the parents and family of the latest victim at that intersection take no comfort whatsoever knowing that something is finally going to be done, now that their young son is dead.
Shame on you Langley Township council, especially Councillor Grant Ward, who still voted no to installing a traffic light at that location. What’ll it take, Mr. Ward? Another fatality?
Gary Dunham,
Langley
