Discussing crosswalk safety in Cochrane yields some very interesting and somewhat disturbing results.
It's no secret that abysmal planning around schools in Cochrane has caused serious traffic concerns. Anyone who has had to drop their children off at RancheView School or Fireside School knows all too well the headaches and dangers of too narrow and congested streets.
Obviously, that is cause for frustration for those traveling to the school and others who just want to get out the neighbourhoods and begin their morning commute.
That being said, frustration is no excuse for the attitudes of so many drivers in Cochrane who seem to take no responsibility for the safety of pedestrians and school children crossing the road.
Every week a skim through community social media channels will yield complaints about near misses at crosswalks. Those complaints are almost immediately followed by questions and comments that are akin to victim blaming.
"Did you look both ways? Was the walk light on? Did you make eye contact with the driver? What were you wearing?" If you get hit by a car while trying to cross the street, you were likely asking for it. At least that is what the prevailing attitudes seem to suggest.
Reduced speed limits and better controlled crosswalks are met with outrage as people lament the inconvenience caused by children trying to find their way safely to school.
Parents constantly point out drivers passing vehicles stopped at crosswalks or stopped buses and are met with someone posting badly interpreted traffic laws stating there is nothing illegal about either of those practices.
Even if that is true, it doesn't make it right and it definitely doesn't make it smart.
We shouldn't need a police or bylaw officer camped at every school to make sure drivers act responsibly. In fact, we shouldn't need laws at all that direct people to drive safely around schools. Unfortunately, so many people have become so disconnected from a sense of community, they can only think about themselves. If they hit a child with their car – which seems to be becoming inevitable – they won't be at fault, because they are not responsible for other people's safety.
While that is not to say pedestrians don't have to be responsible for their safety, these are children. Children forget. Children get distracted. Children get excited. Children get tired. The list goes on and the results of each is usually a lapse in judgement, even adults fall victim to such slips.
Try arguing with a parent of the child you killed that their kid wasn't paying attention when you ran them over in a crosswalk and it wasn't your fault – we bet the debate won't end in your favour.
Yes, our communities need better road planning around its schools and hopefully when the new school in Sunset Ridge is built, we will see evidence of that planning. Yes, our traffic congestion in town due to over development is frustrating. Yes, there are a lot of school zones and controlled crossings.
No, none of those issues absolve you of the responsibility to drive with extra care around schools. If you are unable, unwilling, or just too self-absorbed to accommodate that simple act of decency, take the long way or stay off the road during drop off and pick up times.
