I am a longtime resident of Prince George. In the past few years, most every time I drive in this city, I see people - young, old, women, men - driving dangerously.
Speed limits in parking lots and park zones are rarely obeyed; pedestrians trying to cross at crosswalks barely have time to get halfway across the street before drivers are making their turns. It looks like pedestrians are given just enough time to get out of the driver's way.
Bullying on the roads appears to be rampant and deliberate. When I drive the speed limit in parking zones, drivers have tailgated me; one fellow flipped the bird at me when I pulled over to let him speed by. One lady was tailgating me in a mall parking lot and when I tapped my brakes, she passed me and flew through the parking lot. I watched one young fellow in a white truck speed in and out of a mall parking lot doing about 50 km/h.
If an unmarked police car is in a parking area, every driver notices and drives according to the speed limit. If a marked police car is on the side of a road, people slow down to the speed limit.
Parking lot speed limits are on the signs before you enter the parking lot and, in some malls, painted on the ground in the parking lot. Pine Centre Mall speed limit is 20 km/h; Costco parking lot speed limit is 5 km/h. Families with children shop at malls. Their lives are more important than your necessity to speed.
Parking zone speed limits are 30 km/h. The speed limits are clearly marked on signs. Lheidli T'enneh Memorial Park (formerly Fort George Park) speed limit is 10 km/h in the parking lot and 30 km/h on 20th Avenue and 17th Avenue. Families go to parks. Their lives are more important than your necessity to speed.
Residential area speeds should always read drive with caution. Families with children live in residential areas. Their lives are more important than your necessity to speed.
Families with children use crosswalks all the time. Their lives are more important than your impatience.
People's lives are more important than your necessity to speed. Keep in mind, every individual is accountable for their own actions and the price of stupidity is very high.
Gail Hillier, Prince George
