Sheriffs a welcome addition to highway
Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today Friday, April 7, 2006.
Funny word pictures can be painted with the phrase "new sheriffs in town," but it's a serious matter.
Life and death, even.
The provincial sheriffs who now patrol Highway 63, as Today reported Thursday, making a difference to McMurrayites who choose ground transportation over the air when travelling south.
While we're all looking forward to the twinned highway that will improve safety, it's hoped, travellers are still stuck with two lanes, filled to capacity and more two days of the week.
Regular drivers jockey with trucks hauling everything from heavy equipment parts, logs and industrial trailers. Then there are the oilsands plant pieces, which range from 20 to 50 feet wide, sometimes blocking the entire road.
The sherrifs are sorely needed. Two of them is a good beginning, and hopefully the Alberta government will see its way to putting more rubber on the road.
The RCMP still patrol Highway 63, and local drivers have noticed them in increased numbers recently, as mentioned in the Bricks and Bouquets feature that ran in this space Thursday.
The RCMP are the ideal patrollers, but even with increased numbers, thanks to Wood Buffalo regional council, they're busier than ever dealing with crime.
That's the priority most local citizens want addressed. The sherrifs fill another need.
The cost of trained officers and their cars is much lower than the hundreds of millions needed to fix the roads. It's a step, but not a substitute.
© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.
Funny word pictures can be painted with the phrase "new sheriffs in town," but it's a serious matter.
Life and death, even.
The provincial sheriffs who now patrol Highway 63, as Today reported Thursday, making a difference to McMurrayites who choose ground transportation over the air when travelling south.
While we're all looking forward to the twinned highway that will improve safety, it's hoped, travellers are still stuck with two lanes, filled to capacity and more two days of the week.
Regular drivers jockey with trucks hauling everything from heavy equipment parts, logs and industrial trailers. Then there are the oilsands plant pieces, which range from 20 to 50 feet wide, sometimes blocking the entire road.
The sherrifs are sorely needed. Two of them is a good beginning, and hopefully the Alberta government will see its way to putting more rubber on the road.
The RCMP still patrol Highway 63, and local drivers have noticed them in increased numbers recently, as mentioned in the Bricks and Bouquets feature that ran in this space Thursday.
The RCMP are the ideal patrollers, but even with increased numbers, thanks to Wood Buffalo regional council, they're busier than ever dealing with crime.
That's the priority most local citizens want addressed. The sherrifs fill another need.
The cost of trained officers and their cars is much lower than the hundreds of millions needed to fix the roads. It's a step, but not a substitute.
© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home