A White Rock man is asking motorists to be mindful of wildlife on city streets after having observed a close call involving an impatient driver.
Wednesday (June 16) morning, Tino Fluckiger was travelling westbound on North Bluff Road near Oxford Street when more than a dozen young Canada geese crossed the road with their parents. Fluckiger, who drives the route frequently, says geese cross that section of road daily to access Southmere Village Park.
Around 8 a.m., a cyclist stopped in the middle of the westbound lane to block traffic for the geese. It was a dangerous move, Fluckiger said, but what was even more dangerous was the impatient driver behind him.
“He got frustrated with the whole process of us having to wait and he decided he was going to drive right around me onto oncoming traffic heading eastbound,” Fluckiger said. “He sped around me very unsafely, and he could have easily hit the boy on the bike, he could have wiped out some geese… he could have had an accident with another motor vehicle.”
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Fluckiger said people need to be more patient and aware when behind the wheel as more vehicles take over city streets.
“I just feel this is a time bomb waiting to explode, somebody is going to get hurt. As we know, a lot of buildings are going up in White Rock, there’s more volume on the street. We’re coming out of a pandemic, a lot more people are driving these days.”
While there aren’t animal crossing signs located near Southmere Village Park, Fluckiger said it’s something he would like to see. He said he plans to take his concern to White Rock city council.
“I think cities need to look at this. The message needs to go a little higher up. I understand this is a seasonal thing…. but it’s a public safety issue right now,” Fluckiger said.
“This happens all of the time.”
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