Re New City Barricades Could Kill:
I base this letter on the following assumptions from the Friday, September 17 News article regarding the collision of a motorized trail bike with a large barricade.
The barricade was across a “motorized vehicles are prohibited” trail.
The incident occurred before dark.
The young man concerned can read.
It is fortunate that the driver was able to walk away from the accident and I agree with the article’s assertion that it would be a good idea to paint a barricade a bright colour.
However, let us consider the following. The young man on this occasion, and presumably on other occasions, ignored a bylaw. The barricade is quite large and sits on concrete posts. A driver operating a motor vehicle at a safe and reasonable speed should have been able to stop in time. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the vehicle was being operated without due care.
What would have happened if that barricade had been a pedestrian tying her shoe, or a small child dashing ahead of its parents?
Having recently been forced off the path by another pair of irresponsible scofflaws roaring down Millennium Trail and over the Rotary Bridge, I take this incident seriously. It is further proof that the city and the RCMP need to prosecute these offenders in order to send a clear message to young people and, more importantly, to their parents that this behaviour is not acceptable or safe.
Rather than castigating the city for not painting the barricade a bright colour, we should call for the young person to be charged with breaking the law and endangering himself and others. At the very least, he should be required to pay for the repair of the barricade.
Linda Leon
Whitehorse