I am in full support of your editorial “Crosswalks are dangerous” (Nov. 14, 2012).
I am a victim of a crosswalk accident and it took many months to return to full health. As a result, I am very careful when I walk, particularly in a crosswalk.
I walk almost daily and have noticed drivers seem to have a careless and selfish attitude when approaching crosswalks.
Your editorial was very timely, as four times in the last 10 days while standing at the edge of four different crosswalks, drivers “blew” through without looking right or left and definitely not stopping.
I am particularly concerned about the crosswalk at Church and Country Roads because of the number of school children who cross there daily. It should be upgraded with some new paint.
Another concern is the speed at which drivers on Church Road come over the hill before the crosswalk.
At the entrance to Evergreen Mall, I watched the driver look to her left as she approached Sooke Road. It was only as she started to turn onto Sooke Road that she saw me standing in the crosswalk. She did not slow down or come to a full stop but continued her turn.
Also at risk are the growing number of residents in electric carts. The majority are driven by the elderly whose reactions are not always swift and sure.
Stopping for a pedestrian or an electric cart in a crosswalk takes, I would guess, about 30 seconds. Drivers ask yourselves: Will “30 seconds” really make that much difference in getting to where I want to go? Do I want to be careless and selfish and “blow” through the crosswalks taking a chance on seriously injuring or possibly killing someone? Believe me, if that happens, you will really be late to your destination and not just the few seconds it would have taken to stop.
When are the drivers and authorities going to come to grips with this problem and do something about it, whether it is a little bit of paint, installation of flashing lights, a penalty when caught, or just starting to use more common sense?
To repeat your editorial question... “Do the residents of Sooke have to wait until someone is seriously injured or killed before something is done?”
Lynne Bruhns
Sooke
D