Imagine that you are a student attending high school or any level of school for that matter, and that you walk to that school each weekday. On Wednesdays you get to sleep in and as a result sometimes arrive at your school as late as 11 a.m.
Every morning, you have to cross Sturgeon Road. This road can be quite busy, usually around 7 a.m. 11 a.m. is usually a calm time for this road.
When you cross this Wednesday, of the two cars to drive by, one stops while the other passes. This is good; there is no other traffic in sight, no obvious danger.
You have barely entered the second lane when you see another car racing down the road at a speed above the limit. You estimate based on other scenarios where vehicles have been driving this road that if you maintain your current speed as you walk, you will be hit by this vehicle, which you note is not slowing at all despite the fact that you have the right of way, being a pedestrian in a clearly marked crosswalk. So you slowly decelerate until you come to a complete stop in the middle of the road. No other traffic has appeared.
You wait until this car passes and you think they will, two lanes ahead of you. But they do not. They screech on the brakes, stopping right where you would have been had you maintained your initial speed.
Imagine you are standing there, wondering why this car has stopped so suddenly, the shock as the driver of this vehicle honks his horn at you.
You note that he looks to be in his 50s or 60s and that he appears to be giving you an angry look. Then he speeds off.
Now you can stop imagining.
I have put up with lousy driving as a pedestrian for quite a few years now. I'd like to think that the trend of drivers being unobservant would remain the only flaw. Once you add rudeness and a bit of childishness I might add, I must take offence.
I have been nearly hit a multitude of times, understandably in the winter when exhaust fumes create a mist that, combined with the darker mornings, are capable of concealing people and vehicles. To reduce the chance of these circumstances being my downfall, I carry a flashlight that I shine at the ground whenever I cross the street to alert drivers as to where I am. This, for the most part, works.
I have accepted much of this poor driving behaviour for I can excuse it as impatience for getting to work on time. After the morning rush, I cannot excuse poor driving.
Quite frankly, I am getting sick and tired of having my life threatened by those who I feel don't deserve the license to operate a motor vehicle. Whether it be rush hour or not.
Megan Olejniczak, St. Albert
