Editor:
I couldn't help but notice the profound irony with which two seemingly unrelated stories in Coast Reporter (Dec. 18) were inextricably linked.
In the one story ("Pro-gram 'just the ticket' for youth"), Const. Francine Moreau was extolling the virtues of kids "playing a game of road hockey", while another story ("End of the road for traffic calming") informed us that the Town of Gibsons will be raising the speed limit in one of our residential neighbourhoods from 30 km/h to 50. According to council minutes, the reason given is that speed limits are "reliant on enforcement alone".
I must dispute the Town's assertion that the only reason citizens obey the law is the fear of retribution in the form of punishments meted out by police. And I would humbly suggest that using the police to encourage compliance with society's standards should only be considered as the absolute last resort, certainly not strategy number one. Maybe if more of us took Const. Moreau's suggestion to heart and reclaimed our neighbourhood streets from time to time, perhaps drivers wouldn't need to endure the collective punishment that is euphemistically termed "traffic calming". When neighbourhoods put people first, drivers change their behaviour.
I will continue to drive no faster than 30 km/h on O'Shea, and every other residential street in Gibsons - simply because it is the right thing to do. Game on!
Jon Hird
Gibsons Speed Watch
