Editor:
In his May 26 letter Parks, police responsible for grizzly death Mr. Pissot makes a great point about speeding within Banff National Park, but fails to convince me with assertions and claims made.
He argues that Parks Canada, the RCMP and provincial sheriff units have “utterly and completely” failed in their attempts to slow traffic in BNP. I disagree, not totally on the point of their failing or who is to blame for the mess, but on what needs adjustment within the enforcement/judicial system to bring about a lasting change in driver attitude.
It is obvious penalties for dangerous driving infractions are far too lax and affordable, to deliver the personal clout necessary to wake people up to the dangers they pose to their fellow drivers and every other living thing in their path when they “scoff at the speed limits”.
Recent stats from the Town of Canmore and the recent provincial haul from the Victoria Day long weekend indicate current penalties are padding treasury revenues at all levels, but are not changing driver behaviours.
In Canmore “in 2010, 6,084 photo radar tickets” were issued within town limits by contractor Global Traffic Services. Provincially, on the recent Victoria Day long weekend, in a 72-hour period, 3,263 driving violations were recorded, 2,355 of which were “speeding violations”.
These figures rarely (never?) ever show any trend but upward, and only represent a very small proportion of the total number of actual crimes being committed. Could there be any clearer evidence that photo radar, and every other means police use to rein in rogue drivers, is ineffective as a deterrent?
I travel into Banff from my home in Canmore twice weekly, and on into the Columbia Valley via Highway 93 during summer and fall months, and witness each time the same disregard for the speed limit, and life Mr. Pissot does.
However, I challenge the survey numbers he draws from “a few years ago” that in the 90 km/h zone along the Castle Mountain stretch of parkway “the average vehicle speed was found to be in excess of 150 km/h. Key words “average” and “in excess of”.
If the “average” was 150 km/h, that certainly does not jive with my experiences, or with one single person I’ve spoken to on this subject. Most of the drivers I’ve observed, since this road was twinned decades ago, travel at or near the range of 10 to 15 over the limit, and brag about it.
That’s an average I think you could sell anyone, (albeit admittedly some idiots probably are zipping along at or near 200 km/h). Most will tell you “the cops leave you alone” if you are travelling within the pack in the 10 to 15 over range. I have a tendency to believe this in most of my observations. Disappointingly, this is where enforcement – RCMP, local police and provincial sheriff traffic units fail their mandate and the obeying public.
I have advocated for years Canada’s National Parks system become a test bed for photo radar. I have written dozens of letters to newspapers/periodicals etc., talked to politicians and organizations like the AMA, people of my acquaintances and complete strangers on the street.
Except for one solitary person (hi Eileen) not one person has EVER expressed any interest in pursuing this matter beyond the coffee shop. It will take the combined efforts of a strong lobby body, Parks Canada disconnecting themselves from the business community in Banff, various enforcement teams doing their job properly (and on mandate), plus governments working to halt their dependence on this revenue source – to make any difference at all.
Until such time, I’ll continue to regard the whole mess as the mega-million dollar cash cow it is, and truly believe I’ll live long enough to see the last bear in Banff National Park – upside down in the ditch.
Alvin Shier,
Canmore
