The editorial in the Feb. 27 Cochrane Eagle bemoans the fact that there are too many drivers who will not drive safely in school zones. As a child I was a victim of a car pedestrian collision, which was entirely my fault.
To solve this problem we should use some common sense. Sidewalks are for people and the road is for cars. If people venture onto the road, they do so at their own peril, regardless of who has the right of way.
There are all sorts of solutions that are expensive and will probably raise taxes. My first suggestion is to create one way drop off/loading zone where children can stay on the sidewalk to get to and from school. The cheapest solution is to have parents or school employees work for an hour as crossing guards who will stop traffic when there are enough children waiting.
A single teenager listening to music while crossing the street and causing cars to stop, is adding to pollution and global warming. It takes about 30 or more litres of fuel to go from zero to 50, which could have been avoided had he waited a while longer. We could also get rid of extended school zone speed restrictions by adding: "30 km/hr when children are present."
Hans G Kusche
