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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-01-21, Page 3Wednesday,January 21, 2004 Exeter Times–Advocate 3 Let's Talk Science Emily Fister, Curtis Winters and Cam Musser work on creating a hovercraft as part of a project to build a self-propelled object for a "Let's Talk Science" work- shop at Precious Blood School Jan. 16. Let's Talk Science is a national not-for-profit organization which visits schools offering hands-on science based programs for both children and educators. (photo/PatBolen) Snow on roadways The necessity to have roads open early in the morning for school buses and oth- ers driving to work make it essential to plow early in the morning. Many times plowing is completed before you have had an opportunity to have your laneway cleaned out. Each year the road departments receive many complaints from motorists of bumps, ridges, piles of snow and glare ice on the road after they have plowed. In most cases, people leaving snow on the road when they plow or blow out their laneway cause these. This is a dangerous practice that is against the law. Section 181 of the Highway Traffic Act makes it an offence for anyone to deposit snow or ice on a roadway. If your snow clearing operations cause or contribute towards a crash, you may be personally held liable for your actions. Most home, farm or commercial insur- ance policies do not cover the insured if he or she has committed an offence. The police may charge offenders under the Highway Traffic Act for depositing snow or ice on a roadway. Also section 170(12) of the Highway Traffic Act states no person shall park or stand a vehicle on a highway in such a manner as to interfere with the move- ment of traffic or the cleaning of snow from the highway. Section 170(4) of the Highway Traffic Act states every person who contravenes this section is guilty of an offence and on conviction is liable to a fine of not less than $20 and not more than $100. If a vehicle is parked on the roadway which interferes with snow clearing oper- ations, please contact the police having jurisdiction over that particular section of road to ticket the vehicle and have it towed and stored at the owner's expense as permitted under Section 170 (15) of the Highway Traffic Act. Parking is per- mitted in some urban areas along roads. Please consult the local municipality regarding parking by-laws, prior to call- ing police. Illegally parked vehicles increase the exposure to liability and may increase snow clearing costs. However, the road departments is to efficiently and effectively clear roads of snow and ice, making them safe for all highway users and minimizing risk for all parties. The OPP would also like to remind citi- zens not to drive on closed roads. This could result in the loss of life and injury to others. For the purpose of subsection (1), a police officer may close a highway or any part thereof to vehicles by posting or causing to be posted signs to that effect, or placing or causing to be placed traffic control devices as prescribed in the regu- lations. Driving on a closed highway is prohibit- ed and when signs or traffic control devices have been posted or placed no person shall drive or operate a vehicle on the closed highway or part thereof in intentional disobedience of the signs or traffic control devices. The only excep- tions to this are road service vehicles, public utility emergency vehicles or police vehicles. County council votes against golf course expansion By Pauline Kerr SPECIAL TO THE TIMES -ADVOCATE GODERICH — Conflicts between agri- cultural land use and tourism came to the fore at Huron County council Jan. 8. An application for the expansion of an 18 -hole golf course near Clinton was turned down by council on the recom- mendation of the county's health and planning committee. Coun. Bernie MacLellan who chairs the committee told council the expansion had been approved by the municipality and by the county's planning department. However, the health and planning com- mittee did not support the official plan amendment that would change the desig- nation of land from agriculture to recre- ation. Opinions on the matter were divided at council. MacLellan said Huron County wanted tourism, and this facility is literal- ly in the middle of the area the county is trying to promote. He went on to say it is not prime agricultural land in any case. Coun. Doug Layton of North Huron spoke against the expansion, saying there are two other nine -hole courses that are struggling. "Wingham is one," he said. "We have to consider the impact of expansion (of the 18 -hole course to 27 holes) on these courses." The other nine -hole course is at Bayfield. Layton also said that in his experience, expanding the golf operation would bring more complaints about spreading of manure by adjoining agricultural opera- tions. Coun. John Bezaire made note of the rural -urban split and stressed he repre- sented both sides. However, he said he was bothered by a statement by Coun. Paul E. Klopp of Bluewater, that 18 holes is standard for a golf course. Bezaire said if the nine -hole courses were struggling and an 18 -hole course could manage, perhaps a 27 -hole course would be easier to manage. He went on to say few farmers today could survive on "standard" 80 to 100 -acre parcels of land. Scott Tousaw, director of planning and development for the county, explained why the planning department had approved the application. "It was not a perfect application but it can be support- ed from a planning viewpoint." Tousaw agreed there were concerns from owners of the surrounding farms. Coun. Murray Scott from North Huron spoke on the conflict between agriculture and tourism, saying, "If history repeats itself, farmers will be the first ones to get shut down if there are enough complaints (about manure spreading)." Klopp addressed the issue of "this is not a perfect application" by saying, "There is a time and place to make things work, but in this case, we have to err on the side of those five or six farmers." Final word went to Warden Bill Dowson, who said the owner of an agri- cultural operation should not be penal- ized because a golf course is there. "If it were possible for the agricultural opera- tion to continue as usual, it would make supporting the golf course easier. But it can't." In a recorded vote, nine councillors sup- ported the committee's recommendation against the expansion; seven voted against the recommendation. Drinking and driving offences up during RIDE campaign HURON COUNTY — Huron County OPP expe- rienced a rise in the num- ber of people arrested for drinking and driving offences in the county during the five week Festive RIDE Campaign Nov. 28 to Jan. 1. Three years ago the OPP stopped 7,212 vehi- cles while last year it was 10,016 and this year it was 8,578 vehicles. This year officers in Huron charged 19 people for either impaired, over 80 mgs or refusing to pro- vide a breath sample compared to last year's 17 and the year before of 1. The number indicates drinking and driving has not slowed down but rose by two, making it the highest number of people arrested over the last sev- eral years for drinking and driving offences. Two years ago OPP offi- cers in Huron issued 12 12 -hour license suspen- sion for blowing a warn on the roadside device while this year the number increased to 15 compared to nine three years ago. In 2001 during the Festive RIDE Campaign OPP officers investigated 129 collisions resulting in 43 people being injured and one death while in 2002 they investigated 132 collisions with 33 being injured and no deaths. The figure in 2003 showed 164 colli- sions with 46 being injured and four people who died on Huron County Roads. On top of those figures another 30 charges were laid for criminal driving offences. Huron County OPP charged 119 people for drinking and driving offences for the entire year, which was down one from last year. Gender The numbers indicate men were the worst offenders with 97 being arrested compared with 22 females. Age Looking at the age groups most people have felt that teenagers are the worst offenders. Looking at the figures only seven were below 20 years of age. Breaking it down, 30 were in their 20's, 25 were in their 30's, 40 were in their 40's, 13 were in their 50's and another for were 60 or older. Location The highest geographic arrest area was Bluewater with 29 fol- lowed by Central Huron with 25, Goderich and Huron East were tied at 17 each, while South Huron was 16. North Huron was 12 fol- lowed by Morris- Turnberry at two and Howick at one. Deaths "Huron County experi- enced at 22 the highest number of deaths on our roadways that I have seen over the six years as com- munity service officer," said Sr. Const. Don Shropshall. "The numbers show that the areas of the highest population are where the most impaired drivers have been found." Shropshall said 11 of the 22 fatal crashes investigated involved alcohol. That number dropped over the last six weeks when at one point it was as high as 75 per cent of fatal crashes were alcohol related. "Huron County still has a problem with drinking and driving and alcohol abuse," said Shropshall. "We need to look at this problem and try to edu- a1, Gaiser Kneale hi ker Inc EXETER - 235-2420 GRAND BEND - 238-8484 CLINTON - 482-3401 cate ourselves and our children of this danger to prevent deaths from hap- pening. Don't encourage people to drink several drinks and tell them its OK to drive home. Either let them stay overnight or fmd other ways of getting home like the taxi service or family members or friends who haven's been drinking picking them up. These are just some ideas we should all look at." Eiott's & Auction Inc. A NEW Truckload Every Week! Fri. 10-6, Sat. 9-4, Sun. 12-4 Bayfield Rd. Clinton 482-9364 Thames Road Abattoir Custom Kill Day Tuesday Black Forest Ham $2.69 Ib Lean Ground Hamburg . .89¢ Ib Loin Chops $1.89 Ib Sides of BEEF 1.49 Ib While supplies last Hwy. #83 East of Exeter 41130 Thames Rd E. Exeter 235-2969