Laws and enforcement needed to make our roads safer
By Lethbridge Herald on January 31, 2024.
Editor:
I have just driven across the westside hill back and forth. It is -4 degrees outside. The road is dry. The speed limit is 60 km/h. I like to follow rules. I went 65 km/h. I was a hazard on the road. I was in the middle lane, and vehicles were passing me at 90 kmh+. For my own safety and the safety of others, I went the same speed as the other drivers.
Folks, there is going to be an accident and it will be serious. In the above-noted incident, there is a 25 km/h difference. That is not safe.
Who makes the decision to make the speed limit 60 km/h? Who monitors the roadway to see if this is still an acceptable speed? We need to have laws that make our roads safer, not more dangerous.
I have lived on the westside for eight years. In all those years going to and from work and other places, I have seen a police officer on the hill twice to monitor speed. There have been accidents, and then of course, the entire fire department and police department show up.
Why can we not be proactive, and avoid as many accidents as possible? Making the law, and then not enforcing the law, is not a best practice.
Best practice would be to only make the speed limit at 65 km/h if the road conditions require it. The second best practice would be to have police officers enforce the law when it is required.
I have driven up the hill at 90 km/h in the middle of summer. There are still many drivers that pass me that are going way beyond 90 km/h. And in the end, there was no point to the speeding because we all end up at the four-way traffic light at the same time anyway. May as well just go 90 and save on the gas and annoying the other drivers. Why do drivers do this? Because they can. Nobody is there to stop them. Nobody is there to ticket them.
Let’s make Lethbridge a safe place to drive, to walk, to live. Together, it can be done.
Jacky Ketel
Lethbridge
12-11
I agree with you! I have seen many accidents on Whoop-up Drive just in the last 3 weeks, most of them from driving too fast for road conditions. I too am almost pushed out of the way by speeding traffic when following the speed limit.
No one cares about consequences they may cause whenever they shut down Whoop-up or cause major delays after they caused the accident.
It is all me, me, me and my life and my day and how I can’t take an extra 30 seconds to get safely home!
Many still drive with their phones in the hands as well, thinking that because they have it on ‘speaker’ and in their hand it is hands free!
While we are on the topic, there needs to be an information release by the city to inform people how to drive around a traffic circle, the proper way to signal to indicate your direction of travel and when a 4 way yield is used, it is the same as a 4 way stop.
In Alberta a 4 way stop means the first one to the stop line goes first, as is a 4 way yield. Over 80% either do not know, or do not care! All provinces are not the same!
I forgot, while we are talking about speed on our roads, twice in less than week when on Scenic Drive coming from Costco vehicles have blown by me at least at 90 kph if not 100 kph. They have been older beat up vehicles as as well as late model vehicles. They didn’t just speed as they went by me in the other lane, but continued the speed around the corners, braking then increasing speed.
Last summer I was going up the hill on Whoop-up in the middle lane and a car ahead of me changed lanes fast and there was a small motorbike now right in front of me going about 40 kph in a 90 zone. I had to slam in the brakes because I couldn’t change lanes due to traffic on either side. He wouldn’t have a chance if someone piled into him.
While posted speed limits should be followed, and not exceeded, the other danger is those driving well under it. This creates as much of a danger, and those folks should also be ticketed.
Maximum speed 90. There is usually no minimum. So ,no ticket warranted for driving too slow.
It is perfectly legal to drive below the posted speed limit in Alberta, if the road or weather conditions warrant a slower rate of speed. However, if you are driving below the posted speed limit, and the conditions don’t warrant a reduced speed, and you are impeding the traffic flow, it is possible that you will be ticketed.
Hey Dude, what gives? While you are correct on the law, commenting on legal matters is my turf.
Well, that’s just your opinion,Man. Besides, I don’t recall anyone giving you the keys to the cookie cupboard.
a valid and even pressing concern is well presented by the writer. it is my understanding traffic enforcement is the purpose behind the newly created sheriffs division a chunk of years ago. however, it seems that sheriff duties have been spread about such that they are pretty much a do-all secondary support policing service, even stretching into conservation, if i recall correctly. how about we focus the duties of sheriffs to road safety – consequently, we may even get more of the chronic criminals off the roads that have made a life of stealing cars part and parcel with their other habitual antisocial decisions.
driving without licence/and/or while prohibited is bad enough, but also serious is such clowns are not insured. the judicial system hardly treats this type of recklessness with near enough earnest.
Good time to invest in four to six speed on green cameras. Three each way. Then, just for fun alternate which ones are on and which ones are off every couple of hours. We “have the technology” Keep everyone guessing. Pay for that third bridge in a couple of years.
going to have wait at least till December to do that as the UCP put a freeze on new photo radar in 2019
To bad. Missing out on 12
Months of bridge revenue.
I certainly support what is being said drivers in the Edmonton area are out of control and the accidents prove it. To make it worse Danielle Smith has eliminated photo radar on our Anthony Henday road and it’s becoming a racetrack. Police officers state that it was a stupid idea. We know that the revenue lost from not issuing fines will end up being added to our property taxes. Where is the intelligence in making everyone pay for the ones who won’t follow the laws?