Homebodies - Too common traffic violations

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Published on Sunday, May 1, 2016

By Rita Friesen

The Neepawa Banner

The conversation around the multi-generational festive table was animated, from the foolish to the philosophical, punctuated with laughter and gentle personal poking. I came away thankful that I had been included, wonderfully full in body and spirit and with some thinking to do. One of the off hand comments carried a deep truth – ‘just because we are a small town doesn’t mean we don’t have to obey the rules!’ The topic had been on the traffic violations that are becoming too common.

Heck, I have been guilty of one or two of them myself. In particular U-turns anywhere, any time and cutting across oncoming traffic to swing into a parking spot on the other side of the street! I see these violations all too often. And they are committed by young and old, male and female. Can we not circle the block and find a legal parking place, or, park on the opposite of the street to your destination and walk across? Oh, right, that may mean you have to walk half a block to cross at a designated crossing! Remember that exercise, even in moderate and modest amounts, is good for you. 

And speeding. I know that coming up the hill into town on 16, if you drop to the required 50 kilometres per hour, it feels like you just might roll backwards. It has been calculated, you won’t. It is safe to proceed at the legal speed. One possible explanation merits deliberation. What if those exceeding the speed limit have their speedometers set to miles per hour, not kilometers per hour? Let’s say, for sake of an argument, that these travellers have returned from a trip stateside and forgot to readjust their settings? Do the math, it looks like that just might be happening. Trust me, sitting and watching the traffic on 16 through town, there are some serious offenders.

What is 16? Two lane with a passing lane? Two lane with a turning lane? Nope. It is a four lane from the junction of 5 and 16 on the east end of town to a block west of the junction of 5 and 16 at the west end of town. Student drivers all know that, it is covered in the driving lessons. Again, to watch the traffic flowing through town, they may the only ones who understand those dynamics. Somebody comes barrelling up behind me on 16 travelling east, swings into the north lane, accelerates even more and slides back in front of me. Really? We get to the lights at the same time...

Don’t get me wrong. I love our town, the people in our town, the way we watch out for each other, the way we rally for worthwhile causes, the way we disagree with each other. That doesn’t mean we can’t improve. Not all those who violate the rules of the road are out of towners. If you need to review ‘how to drive’ I encourage you to drive with a new licensee beside you.