New rules
The main route from Cranbrook to my house, for decades was developed from an old wagon road.
Until recently, the rules, south from the 10th Street South intersection at Victoria Avenue, were standard highway rules. But recently, the rules were changed for the 22nd Avenue/13 Street South highway curve — the intersection of the turn-off to Kootenay Orchards school and the road up to Gold Creek
It seems that, for this intersection only (as far as I know, but I have only been driving since the mid-1960s) highway rules have now been suspended, so that drivers heading towards Kootenay Orchards School can choose to charge across the Gold Creek bound lane with impunity. Gold Creek bound drivers must now pause and yield the right of way to downhill traffic regardless of whether that downhill bound traffic is going to follow the normal highway curve towards Victoria Avenue, or choose to charge across their lane towards the school.
Some questions come to mind.
1. Will parents rushing to take their kids to school be exempted from other highway rules, or elsewhere? What is this teaching their kids about rules of the road?
2. Will this new exemption apply to all highway curves?
3. There have been some interesting adaptations to this new situation from some courteous Gold Creek drivers. Some considerate drivers are now using their turn signal lights at this intersection, to announce their intentions to oncoming traffic. That way, Gold Creek bound traffic doesn’t always have to stop and wait for nothing, just because they have no clue what the downhill traffic is up to. Will courtesy rule?
4. My future preference, in the interest of safety, would be to make this a 3-way stop, with seal-coat pebbling to increase stopping traction on icy days. Will the people of the area get input and a vote on this? Or, will future rules of the road be decided by the Captains of Chaos?
Frank Hastings, Cranbrook
CDART
We would like to take this opportunity to express our thanks for your support of Canadian Disaster Animal Response Team (CDART) South East BC.
Since our inception less than three months ago, we have been able to establish ourselves solidly in the East Kootenay region, recruiting a core of talented and dedicated volunteers that share our passion for the well-being of our animals. As well, our public profile has grown tremendously, thanks to the support of the public and local organizations.
We hope to continue to grow, providing emergency rescue of domestic animals and livestock along with other services to our area, eventually covering the entire Southeast Fire Region of our province.
None of this would be possible without the donations and assistance we have received from our local communities.
Ron McConnell and Lynn Davis, Co-ordinators, CDART South East BC
Those baggies
I guess you can say that I am a daily walker/hiker on the awesome trails in the Kimberley area. What really irks me is the people who walk their dogs and pick up their poop and leave the little baggies on the side of the trail or hanging from a tree or telephone pole. Who do they think is going to pick this up, The Poop Fairy?
Get with it people. Is it really that hard to carry that little poop bag to the nearest garbage bin. I do!
Karen Nordby, Kimberley
