The letters page in the News Review of late has been rife with complaints surrounding an intersection in Central Saanich.
It’s no surprise many different people have many different ideas about what might work to alleviate the problem at this intersection, or the many other places that they think are traffic hazards (McTavish roundabouts, anyone?).
There is, however, only one real answer to any of these concerns.
That is, drivers and pedestrians both must take responsibility for what they are doing.
The bottom line is, no matter what kind of intersection is built — a four-way stop, traffic lights, pedestrian-controlled signals or a roundabout, there will always be someone who puts themselves and others at risk by not paying attention, being in a rush or who might be ignorant of the rules of the road.
These people will always exist. Spending thousands to improve an intersection will not change that.
The question then becomes, will spending that money mitigate an incident? That’s the $64,000 question. It could be argued that more education at the early stages of learning to drive is more important.
That, and zero tolerance for distracted driving (no eating, phoning, texting, watching TV or excessively loud music — they all can be very distracting), will go a long way to prevent incidents.
Fixing pavement later does very little when the main problem still exists.
When it comes down to it, pavement is pretty easy to navigate. It’s normally level, smooth and there are these neat lines and signs that keep you on the right path — but only if you’re paying attention.
If you can do that, it’s a small, simple leap to catch the eyes of your fellow travellers, learn which one has the right-of-way and which ones are just not paying attention.
