Another week and more tragedy on our highway.
When is enough going to be enough? How many more lives have to be lost before the provincial government takes a long, hard look at the state of Hwy. 101?
I attempted to get some answers to that question this week, but if you read into what Ministry of Transportation spokesperson Mike Lovecchio said in an interview, don't expect to see many big changes on the highway.
There may be some increased signage encouraging drivers to watch their speed or beware of cyclists, but as for straightening out some of those dangerous curves or possibly looking at a bypass in either Gibsons or Sechelt - don't hold your breath.
After Saturday's second fatal accident on our highway in three weeks, local politicians and the community at large are rallying together to insist the ministry and Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon review the state of the highway.
Sechelt Mayor Cam Reid is hoping to set up a town hall meeting where Falcon could attend and provide answers to the community.
MLA Nicholas Simons has requested a face-to-face meeting with Falcon. He also plans to deliver a 600-plus-name petition, which was filled out by the public the past two weeks at two local bike shops.
I think these are reasonable requests. It's time we start getting some answers.
I will agree to a certain point with a few of Lovecchio's comments. He did mention during our interview that maybe emotions are overruling fact to some degree. It's not just the highway, he said, it's also the people who are driving and not doing so safely.
Two weeks ago I penned an editorial entitled Driving 101.
I encouraged people to slow down and stop tailgating, cutting people off and passing traffic when they shouldn't.
That message still isn't hitting home.
There is no question in my mind that the highway needs some improvements, but I agree with Lovecchio that it's also up to everyone to drive more responsibly.
In the case of the fatal accident that killed a Pender Harbour woman, according to police, she was trying to avoid a rear end collision and instead of veering to the right, she veered to the left, into the path of a truck.
I'm not trying to downplay this tragedy. It's a horrible incident and my condolences go out to her family and friends.
Another accident Monday was also the case of inattention at the wheel.
A Sechelt man ran off the road after falling asleep from the effects of medication he was on after recent surgery.
I don't know what the answer is. I'm encouraged by the fact that our area politicians and the community are coming together to try and find some solutions.
We need to continue to lobby the province and work with our politicians to ensure something is done, but while we're doing that, we also have to be more diligent while driving on the highway.
