To the editor:
Re: "Student pedestrian safety not just election issue," Sept. 7.
Can we please all wake up and realize that everyone using the road-pedestrians, cyclists and vehicle drivers are responsible for the well-being of one another. Anyone with half a brain can spend 10 minutes near a school when students arrive and leave and realize that adult helpers for crosswalks, good pedestrian education for the students, traffic calming and adequate signage is imperative for the safety of all. No amount of money-not even a $1,500 "curb system"-will replace the vigilance of the people's involvement. We, as citizens, are too accustomed to offload our own responsibilities onto governments. Speaking of responsibility, what makes me crazy as a parent and a driver around student pedestrians (and this goes for adult pedestrians as well) is the complete lack of awareness many have when stepping off a curb into a street with vehicles. Too many people waltz onto the road without a glance to the left or the right. Whatever happened to looking both ways before you cross a street? Too many are hooked up to iPods or talking on cellphones. And schools, please teach some pedestrian safety to your students. Road safety is the responsibility of all individuals in our society, not just politicians and engineers.
Celia Brauer,
Vancouver
