To the editor:
Re: Car and pedestrian safety at intersections
I am very concerned with the safety of my children and myself when walking them to and from school.
We have to cross a very busy, very wide intersection. At least two-three times a week, we are almost run over by hasty drivers turning in front of us, driving directly behind us or not even stopping for us when we have the pedestrian signal that tells us it is safe to cross.
Many of these are parents from the school!
As a driver, I know how it can feel, like, I know, I see the pedestrian and I am slowing down.
However, as a pedestrian, I do not know if you see us and are stopping unless you actually stop, so please do so behind the stop line. It is not until you are fully stopped that I know you see us and will step in front of your vehicle with my precious children.
Also, for those who think it is safe to dart directly in front of or behind us while we are crossing, please consider that I have children, and that while I try my best to hang on to them, they sometimes wiggle free and run ahead. They have run back behind us to pick up an interesting rock they saw; we have lost hats, stuffed animals and shoes; and my children and I have almost been run over trying to retrieve them.
We have even almost been hit when someone started sneaking into the intersection while waiting for us to cross—blocking oncoming traffic—and my child tripped and fell and hurt himself pretty badly.
I had to scoop up one child, run ahead to the injured child and run with both to the other side to avoid being hit because this person could not just wait a few more seconds and in doing so, put us all in danger.
Please, please, please; I beg you, for the safety of our children, have some patience and just wait until we are all safely across the street before driving over the crosswalk we are using. Even if you don’t hit us, someone else might, and we could end up needing your help.
You just never know.
Amanda Martin,
Kelowna
