Editor: I find it hard not to respond to John Dueckman’s letter (The Times, Nov. 22), which is intriguing but reeks of ignorance. I gather he excels in math, and has a firm grasp of what dictates common sense, which is commendable.
The street I walk along most mornings and afternoons has posted school zone and speed limit signs, and I am still taken aback at the speed of some vehicles. With no sidewalks and only one narrow road shoulder to walk on, traffic calming makes perfect sense to me. Children do use playgrounds after 5 p.m., and I think I’ve even seen the little rascals on school grounds on weekends too. I know this is outside the 20 per cent figure he stated. You just can’t tell kids anything.
Current traffic laws do not “more than adequately” address the problem because, believe it or not, I have seen people go faster than the posted speed limit and we can’t expect the police to stake out every school zone every day.
Flashing signs posting your current speed are very informative, but are fairly easy for people to speed past. If traffic calming measures save just one child from being injured or killed, it is worth so much more than any 20-second inconvenience.
Aaron Speers,
Langley
To the new mayor and council, congratulations to all, and please keep the priority on these “mommy promises” right where they are.
(other than Pro-D Days, stat holidays and vacations of course because school playgrounds those days are apparently child resistant also).
