Re: “Lower speed limits ignored,” Oct. 4.
I’d be laughing about Victoria city council’s pathetic response to the failure of its 40-km/h speed zones, if its negligence weren’t so serious for human life.
The reality is that deliberately dangerous drivers ignore speed zone signs, even red lights. Only police in their face repeatedly will re-educate them.
A lesser problem is that when there is a lower speed limit for no specific reason, drivers are likely to fail to comprehend. They routinely miss specific zones such as playground and school — why does council think they’ll see an unexpected 40-km/h zone?
More police feet on the street would re-educate those sloppy drivers as well, and provide faster response to accidents, assaults and robberies.
Staff recommendations sound like wimping out by telling politicians what they want to hear and depending on more costly monitoring and reports. Why not spend those costs on direct observation by police?
Instead of policing, Coun. Geoff Young wants an improper surveillance that won’t be effective, whereas police feet on the street would catch more than speeders, such as some drunks and drivers without adequate skills (young or old).
I urge voters to develop better candidates for municipal office, people who will have the decency and guts to protect humans instead of wasting money on decrepit old buildings and time dictating the colour of paint on private buildings.
Keith Sketchley
Saanich
