To the editor:
It’s ironic that the B.C. government’s in the process of introducing legislation to ticket drivers hogging the left lane, and Kelowna has so-called professional drivers, who practice this dangerous action as part of their daily driving duties.
I’m talking about our city bus drivers. I drive the bridge every day and shake my head in awe that a ‘professional’ driver requires 2.7 kilometres to initiate a left turn into probably one of the longest advance left turns lanes in all of Kelowna entering our downtown.
Yes they’re doing the legal speed limit the entire way across the bridge, but that still doesn’t make it a safe practice. Right or wrong the dynamics of driving have changed. The left lane has become the ‘fast’ lane. The argument, “I’m doing the speed limit,” doesn’t hold merit if a dangerous pin ball game is happening behind you.
I don’t want to paint all the bus drivers in Kelowna with the same ‘unprofessional’ brush. I did observe one bus driver on a Wednesday afternoon travel the entire bridge in the right lane, calmly and professionally merge into the left lane, and then take the exit. As a previous Canadian Defensive Driving Course instructor I was proud of his skill and attention to his surroundings he demonstrated.
Finally, and this is directed at all drivers. If you really believe, that because you’re doing the speed limit it’s your ‘right’ to hog the left lane, and you really don’t care if an accident happens behind you, then a long look in the mirror questioning your personal integrity may be something you should undertake. I want to arrive home safely and not become a statistic as a result of your poor judgement.
Patrick Newton, West Kelowna
