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Letter: Richmond News readers swerve into crash barrier debate

Dear Editor, Re: “Crash barriers are just plain ugly,” Letters, April 20. The barriers that are replacing concrete barriers ARE being used on a racecourse. More drivers are using Richmond streets as their personal speedways.
barriers

Dear Editor,

Re: “Crash barriers are just plain ugly,” Letters, April 20.

The barriers that are replacing concrete barriers ARE being used on a racecourse.

More drivers are using Richmond streets as their personal speedways. As such, it has become imperative to protect both property and life the most effective ways possible.

If it requires using racecourse tactics to accomplish this, so be it. Until drivers realize that it is everyone’s responsibility to drive safely and within the law, I don’t see ugly barriers, but rather an effective solution.

As to environmental concerns, can I say “life first?” If you want to save the environment, drive slower, walk instead, or use electric/hybrid cars. Don’t facilitate the use of gas-guzzling cars to pollute our air and to be used as out-of-control battering rams. That is more ugly than any barrier.

Doug Johnson

RICHMOND

Dear Editor,

While I agree with letter writer Bernard Morris that the newly installed impact barriers are ugly, this may only be the beginning of more to come.

Have a look around at any major intersection and you will see many fences, power poles and utility boxes that have been replaced, or destroyed many times over. Not a day goes by that there is not some car piled up into someone’s yard.

The root of the problem is speed, running of yellow and red lights and poor driver training. Drivers do not stop at or behind the double solid white line as they are required to before proceeding around a corner.

The speed limit is just a sugestion as almost all cars speed as there is little fear of getting caught.  Speed enforcement is minimal, at best.

Look around at the type of cars some first-time drivers get behind the wheel of. Five hundred plus horsepower cars are not for the untrained.

The officer in charge of the Richmond detachment says his officers do a wonderful job of enforcement, but one only has to drive down any main artery in this city and you will soon find out how untrue that is.

The RCMP need to look no farther than Vancouver, Delta, Burnaby — who all run heavy traffic enforcement several times a year — to educate, fine and hopefully reform habits of Richmond drivers.

Neil Bruce

RICHMOND