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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1998-04-08, Page 4Page 4 Tinges -Advocate, April 8, 1998 Publisher & Editor: Jim Beckett Business Manager: Don Smith Production Manager: Deb Lord Advertising; Barb Consitt, Chad Eedy News; Kate Monk, Craig Bradford, Brenda Burke, Ross Haugh Production; Alma Ballantyne, Mary McMurray, Barb Robertson Brenda Hern, Joyce Weber, Laurel Miner Transoortatjon: Al Hodgert Front Office & Accounting- Sue Rollings, Carol Windsor Ruthanne Negrijn, Anita McDonald, Cassie Dalrymple, Ruth Slaght, The Exeter Times -Advocate is a member of a family of community newspapers providing news, advertising and information leadership ID Publications Mall Registration Number 07511 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: One year rate for Canada subscribers -1536.00 + GST Two year rate for Canada subscribers -1163.00 + GST OTHER RATS& lit r. 'MAD►AM coMN��` Outside Canada $102.00 • k;. s, 119 -19G4 Af ASS Published Each Wednesday Morning at 424 Main St., Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S6 by J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd. Telephone 1-519-235-1331 • Fax: 519-235-0766 .midi:taes»dy.com Q.S.V. lR1032101131 E1)1"I'ORIAI, Get out the blades, it's springtime is a bird... it's a plane... no, it's a kid oil a skateboard flying right at you. You dodge out of the way, drop- ping your groceries, and he sails on by; narrowly missing a recycling box, a guy in a wheelchair and two little kids. In the blink of an eye, he sails off the sidewalk and onto the road, to the tune of screeching tires and honking horns, apparently convinced those two lines down the middle mark off the skate- board lane. It's that time of year again - birds are singing, grass is green, and skateboards have emerged from winter storage. It seems those things, and roller blades, are everywhere - sidewalks, parking lots, roadways. They are fun, fast and easy to park, not to mention being environmentally friendly. That is the up side. The down side is no one quite knows where kids should use them. Their speed, and the fact they have wheels, indicate the roadway might be the ap- propriate place. Automobile drivers would like to see the things banned from the roads be- cause of the way the kids dart around corners without warning. Most drivers have had one or two close calls with a kid on blades appearing out of no- where, right in front of the car. Then again, most pedestrians have had to jump out of the way at least once because of a kid blazing down the side- walk at warp 10. Skateboard and roller parks are one answer, especially for the kids who are adept at doing stunts. But special parks do not acknowledge that kids use skate- boards and blades for more than sport - they use them for transportation, as substitutes for bicycles. In some ways, they're better than bicycles. After you arrive at your destination, be it school the movie theatre or park, you simply pick up your transportation, tuck it un- der your arm, and away you go. There are no worries about leaving it outside where it can get stolen, vandalized, or wet. So is it sidewalk or road? Unfortunately, the law hasn't kept up with the popularity of these new vehi- cles. Laws don't specifically mention roller blades and the like. Some commu- nities have bylaws governing their use. Creating, or marking off separate lanes of pavement, away from both automo- bile and pedestrian traffic, would appear to be an ideal answer. So would com- pletely banning them from both streets and sidewalks. Kids who feel it is their right to skateboard where they want, and expect everyone to get out of their way, should keep one thing in mind - the lat- ter is cheaper. Until we have some clear rules about where skateboards and blades can and cannot be used, drivers have to be wary. Any there is a cluster of adoles- cents, you should expect a skateboard or two. The boarders may stay on the side- walk; then again, they may not. The biggest responsibility has to be with the kids themselves. Making a de- termined effort to stay out of the way of ' both pedestrian and automobile traffic , ensures their own safety and that of oth- er people. They must keep in mind that an elderly gentleman using a cane, or a woman pushing a stroller, can't dodge out of the way quickly - nor should he or she have to. Skateboarders must also keep in mind that a kid wearing jeans and a black sweatshirt, riding on a skateboard with no reflective tape, is the last thing a driv- er expects to find in the middle of a dark intersection at 1 a.m. The kid may have the right of way (claiming questionable status as a pedestrian), but the 18 wheeler will win the confrontation. C What's on your mind? The Times Advocate continues to welcome letters to the editor as a forum for open discussion of local issues, concerns, complaints tco and kudos. The Times -Advocate reserves the right to edit letters for brevity. Please send your letters to P.O. Box 850 Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S6. Sign your letter with both name and address. Anonymous letters will not be published. A View from Queen's Park TORON • - While Premier Mike Harris keeps inventing reasons for doing nothing to prevent it, thousands of Ontarians are heing killed or injured every year because motorists drive through red lights. Concern at the number of vehicles continuing through lights after they change to red has risen dramatically so it has become a major issue. Every pedestrian has experienced starting to cross an intersection on green but having to step back hastily because cars were still cross- ing. All drivers can recall driving through changing lights, wondering if they should have stopped, but noticing two or three cars crossing blithely behind them. Concern has increased because of recent deaths at red lights and a car going through red critically injuring two babies in a double strol- ler. Among the causes are more traffic which delays drivers so they become frustrated and rush to shave any seconds they can off driving time. Police cannot watch all intersections and the By Eric Dowd Exeter council was in the midst of a lengthy discussion' a , few weeks ago. No two people were in, complete agreement. Opinions, accusations, , comments and questions were flying back and forth. Out of the blue, a thought came to me. "I didn't thinkit would be like this." I started at the Times -Advocate nearly a year ago to report on agriculture, the environment, Hensall and Zurich councils and feature articles. With changes in staff and responsibilities, I started covering Exeter council in the fall. I now find myself covering , contentious, controversial and sensitive issues. But I bet many councillors and staff were thinking the same thing. When they ran for office, I doubt they expected this much attention. I don't think anyone would have predicted the new term would be unfolding as it is. Most guessed budgets and restructuring would be regular agenda items. Instead, the water Kate's takes By Kate Monk Just the facts issue, pay raises and large garbage collection have taken considerable,time and received attention from ratepayers. A lot of ink has been used at the Times -Advocate on the workings of council. As a reporter, my job is to give you the facts of discussions and decisions. Just the facts. Nothing more, nothing less. It's not my job to "nail" council or decide whether council is doing its job. It'S also not my job (nor a politician's) to tell you how important an issue is. As a ratepayer, it's up to you to decide. It is my responsibility to give a balanced view' when councillors disagree and to tell you both sides of the story. As a result, it's to be expected councillors or ratepayers may not like articles that appear in the paper. My concern is not whether an article is liked, but whether an article is fair and accurate. Exeter is important to me; it's a great place to live. I'm a homeowner, I have many friends here and I care about how our tax dollars are spent. At the same time, as a reporter, I must be objective and not allow my opinions to enter ati article. I don't report every word that's spoken. Monday night is only so long and our paper is only so large. If you warit to see, hear and feel an entire council meeting, you'll have to attend. I encourage you to do so. There is plenty of room in the gallery and a new sound system is in the works so you'll not only be able to see council in action, you'll be able to hear them as well. You'll even get a chance to -voice your opinion or ask questions. I know this means you'll miss some good Monday night TV shows. Set your VCR so you won't miss This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Then you can watch the show after the council meeting to put things into perspective. See you at council! major solution being suggested is having came- ras that automatically photograph vehicles which go through red lights. Those who have asked for it include the new megacity of Toron- to and Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police. Hams has responded he wants laws that charge a driver not a hunk of steel, a car. A tick- et after a camera snaps a car going through a red light would be sent to the owner because it iden- tifies the car not the driver. Cars are driven 90 per cent of the time by their owners, anyway. But owners who were not driving could show their tickets to those to whom they lent their cars and demand they pay and if a driver refused, an owner would deserve penalizing for lending to someone irresponsible enough both to drive through a red light and leave the owner in the lurch. Transportation Minister Tony Clement, also struggling to find reasons for doing nothing, says cameras would merely give the rich a li- cence to drive through red lights, because they could afford to pay the fines, and hurt only the Deaths caused by speeding through red lights poor. The minister does not seem to have heard of increasing fines and taking away licences for repeat offenders. Hams says also, and makes it sound his major worry, that he wants to protect the privacy of people in cars. He has not fully explained this, perhaps because it is a delicate subject. But Harris appears to be concerned that peo- ple driving cars should not be photographed so it is recorded where they were and with whom and a photograph of a car crossing on red would be on a ticket sent tothe owner's home, so other family members might see it. One Progressive Conservative has explained more bluntly his party would not want cars pho- tographed so a driver might be seen with his mistress, which is a danger some in Harris' cab- inet would appreciate, because at least three ministers have had affairs outside marriage. But there is no risk of this in the system pro- posed anyway, because the cameras specifically to protect privacy would photograph the rear of a vehicle and its licence plate and not the front and its driver and any passenger. Hams has not always shown such overwhelming concern about invading others' privacy. He set up a snitch line and invited residents to phone and report anyone they feel might be cheating on wel fare. Only a small proportion of such complaints are found substantiated, but those named as suspects have to bear the weight and worry of an investigation and Harris has never expressed regrets about invading their privacy. The real problem for Harris is that his first act as premier, which he meant as a symbol, was to abolish the photo radar the New Democrat gov- ernment set up to catch cars speeding on high- ways. Harris and his Tories described the reason- able practice of photographing cars to stop speeders as totalitarianism, big brother and creeping socialism and it would be a complete change of direction if they allowed cameras td snap cars running through red lights.