When one thinks about it, it is easy to turn an upstanding citizen into a law breaker. The authorities need only make foolish rules that most people choose to ignore.
One instance of foolish rules falls under the CYA attitude. Towns put stop signs at intersections that deserve yield signs. I often wonder if stop signs are less expensive than yield signs. If you sit near a residential area intersection you will see many people, myself included, who do not come to a full stop at the intersection.
On to my latest complaint. On June 9th I drove from McBride to Kamloops. Between Valemount and Blue River I counted 10 spots where the pipeline construction had us slow to 70 or slow to 60 or slow to 50 km/h. In those 10 sections of a normally 100 km/h highway there was not a single construction worker within sight of the road. There were four sites where flagging people were leaning against their truck.
If the construction companies want me to show respect to their signage they must take it down when construction is done. If they show no respect to the motoring public why would they think we should show respect to their signage when it is still up but no longer needed? If you are working beside or on the road I will slow down without needing a sign 2 or 3 kilometers before the workers are even in sight. By all means put your flaggers to work where needed; for the rest of Hwy 5 leave us the right to travel at a reasonable speed. Remember many of us have appointments or schedules to meet.
Thanks for listening.
Fred Vickery
McBride, BC
