I was driving on Wednesday to my mom’s home to install something when I decided to (slowly) take the route past my old elementary school, Parkcrest on Halifax Street.
Halifax is a really narrow street when people park on both sides of the road so you have to drive slowly and carefully. And since it runs near a school and a park, you also have to watch closely for kids crossing the road even when school isn’t in session.
Sadly, not everyone pays much attention or drives slowly. I witnessed this once again after I pulled over. I had stopped because a section of Halifax is torn up due to a city road project right in front of Parkcrest.
I stopped to take a closer look when another driver who clearly had not been paying attention suddenly screeched his SUV to a stop, leaving skid marks on the road in the process. I looked at the driver and motioned to slow down and he pounded the steering wheel, shook his fist and then raced off along the detour.
Pathetic.
“We get a lot of ratrunners along here,” said Tom, a senior who lives in the area who stopped to chat with me after witnessing the confrontation. “We’re getting a lot more these days because people want to get off Lougheed.”
It is also because you can no longer take Broadway all the way east and west due to a City of Burnaby road project that is expected to last well into 2022.
The problem with Halifax is there is a school there. But it’s the same if drivers cut up Sperling or Duthie (the scene of a horrific fatal crash in July).
Plus, school is back in session next week.
The latest annual BCAA Back to School Driving Survey reveals that most British Columbians (68%) expect school zones to be more chaotic as people get used to new drop-off and pick-up routines. And nearly half (48%) believe that school zones will be more dangerous this year due to distracted driving, as many parents have more on their minds, adding worries about COVID-19 on top of the usual back to school rush.
The BCAA Survey conducted by Insights West reveals significant concern that parents will be too distracted to drive safely in school zones when kids return to classrooms after Labour Day. Notably, of those surveyed, half (50%) say that parents will be more distracted than usual as they adjust to different work schedules and arrangements. With many parents currently working remotely, there’s more potential for distractions behind the wheel, like checking emails or taking a work call while driving.
The BCAA Survey confirms that most British Columbians have become accustomed to seeing poor driving in school zones in pre-pandemic times, with 75% witnessing speeding, 59% seeing aggressive driving, and 68% noting parent drivers not stopping at marked crosswalks.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
