Be ‘imaginative’
Dear Editor:
Horrific accidents have been occurring at rural intersections for years: Kitchener 2012, 11 people died; Vaughan 2015, three children and their grandfather; Saskatchewan 2018, 16 people, including 10 young hockey players; Mapleton 2022, two persons; Manitoba 2024, a mother and daughter; Thorndale 2025, four young girls and their coach; Mapleton in June 2026, five children from one family and an adult.
Lives are lives, but when kids are involved it is heart wrenching and too many of these incidents took children.
The Association of Ontario Road Supervisors says 55% of the province’s fatal accidents happen on rural roads, often because drivers feel they can speed on open county roads. Yet nothing is really being done in the now to prevent these accidents. I’m sure someone somewhere has probably commissioned a study by some high-priced consultants to come up with a solution. Then their recommendations will have to be approved by the powers on high, and while all of that is happening, more people may lose their lives.
How about we do something right now? You know those pieces of thin metal that are now bolted down in the middle of many of our streets? They’re meant to calm traffic by visually reducing the width of the lane. I don’t know about you, but those things actually work. Even I slow down. But can you imagine the reaction of people who first heard that idea?
Almost all of these rural intersections are big intersections. Put a large pillar-like object right in the middle of each intersection. Perhaps a weighted plastic pillar – the kind that flexes or gives on impact instead of standing rigid, like the drums used at highway work zones.
Add bright reflective paint and a solar-powered beacon on top for good measure. The idea is a two-fold deterrent: the visual effect as well as being forced to make an ever-so-slight detour around the large base of the pillar. A mini roundabout.
Yes, it does sound a little crazy. So did bolting things onto the middle of the road. They work, and this will too. Best of all, it’s cheap, easy to install and can happen right away – all while the actual roundabout or full-fledged redesign works its way through years of studies and approvals.
Sometimes in life you have to be a little imaginative. The people who changed our world were all thought to be crazy at one point. Mayors, powers on high, think about it. Then think some more. Save some lives – please. We owe it to all who lost theirs to do something, especially the kids.
Tahseen Nasir,
Arthur