Today, after dropping my kids at school and running some errands up Sooke, I returned home to find that my neighbour’s relatively new fence had been destroyed by a vehicle.
We live on Whiffen Spit Road and while I cannot say, as I did not witness this accident, whether speed was involved, I can say that so very often I am shocked by the speed with which people drive down our road. I have contacted the local RCMP on three occasions to inquire about the possibility of a police presence, speed traps, and even to offer to volunteer for Speed Watch.
I have suggested to the district that Whiffen Spit Road be equipped with ‘traffic calming” bumps to encourage a slower speed. Our road, like many others in the area, has hidden driveways, a huge deer population and no sidewalks. Many people enjoy walking down our road as a way to the Spit and a large proportion of the houses along this road have children who enjoy playing outdoors.
I am so often horrified to see cars speeding down our road at speeds of 80-90 km/hr as children wait for the bus on the gravel inches from these cars.
I am never surprised when vehicles are destroyed by the body of a deer that has erratically run into the road at the wrong time and then watch as the deer suffers with a broken leg as it stumbles into the woods.
I regularly see a burgundy (I think) motorcycle race up our road so quickly that I am unsure of its true colour.
I believe that it needs to be more apparent to drivers that this road is not a highway - it is a side road with hidden driveways, plenty of wildlife and a large population of children.
I don’t know what is going to make the district and the RCMP realize that this is a serious issue and I am concerned that it will not be taken seriously until someone is killed.
Jackie Chandler
Sook