More utility cops
Early Saturday morning I headed in to Calgary visibility was restricted by the fog which had descended in the local area Friday evening. As I pulled off Mulligan Drive and onto the collector I immediately observed an SUV stopped in a very unusual location on the left side of the road. I’m thinking some one has broken down and it’s not a great place to be stalled considering the fog. Such was not the case and as I approached, it became apparent I was viewing the antics of a Utility Cop, you know the so called Sheriffs department the department which prides itself on issuing over 1,300 violations per officer annually, that’s a whopping 150 thousand tickets in 2008, imagine how much the paper cost to print all those tickets? That was on the way in. On the return trip I am near the south end of the city when I see a white Dodge truck parked precariously in the median with another tuck sort of along side, I’m thinking someone is broken down and getting a boost so I slow down thinking that one of these vehicles may be an emergency response unit and you are supposed to pass at 60k. Not the case as I approach I was almost horrified to see a mobile donut shop set up with a digital laser drive thru. It would appear a good number of these traffic enforcement procedures could very well be deemed as at the very least dangerous, obnaucatious and inconsiderate to the other motorists using the targeted roads. In the example of Okotoks here he was no emergency lights on driving conditions were less than ideal and what have you got an overly zealous individual using some kind of tactical warfare against the citizens of this free country. Since when was Sheriff spelled G-O-D? Without question Okatokians have had to put up many years of this abuse, what really is their value they do not “Serve and Protect” as the RCMP do? If you take a look around Okotoks you would find we have dealt with unnecessarily restrictive speed limits heading out of town, we have a main artery with only one turning lane when there is no reason not to have two (Mulligan Light and D’Arcey Ranch) or perhaps as you come up the hill to the light beside Nofrills did you ever notice the median and the barricade sign facing you they actually restrict your vision of the oncoming traffic or the speed signs coming into Okotoks where the 6 at a glance looks like an 8 and when you get to the next set the lettering is different and there is no mistaking it for a six or perhaps at the intersection beside Fountain tire when cars are parked on either side it is impossible to see oncoming traffic, no doubt frustrating for all motorists, did I mention the U-turns by Mac’s milk who actually has the rules on that one? Instead what do we get but a tag team which obviously enjoys jumping up on the curb or jumping over the curbed median in hot pursuit of that 70 year old widow who happened to have her winter boots on causing her speed to be a little faster than normal. What I see here are many areas of concern that perhaps the town fathers need to address and it may be time to give the job of Policing back to the RCMP an agency we believe in and trust. Ministikwan Lake will be welcome sight, even though over the Goat trail the response time is 45 minutes. |
