An open letter to Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner and the Surrey RCMP.
First, I want to thank Surrey council for creating a pedestrian-controlled crosswalk on Crescent Road at Elgin Road.
Most drivers stop to allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross, but too many don’t.
The 12 amber lights – six face east and six west – flash for 20 seconds, giving drivers lots of advanced notice that someone wants to cross and to stop to allow them to do so.
Unfortunately, though, many drivers think the flashing yellow lights don’t apply to them, or they think they’re going too fast to stop in time – even though the speed limit there is 30 km/h.
And some drivers don’t even see the lights because their eyes are glued to their phones.
By the time three, four or five such drivers blast through the crosswalk, the lights have stopped flashing before we can even begin to cross.
I have two suggestions to Surrey council and the RCMP – either extend the flashing to at least 30 seconds, or post some police officers to monitor the crosswalk and issue tickets to all the drivers who don’t respect the law. Or both.
Jerry Steinberg, Surrey