Dear Editor,
My mother and I often walk around the Central Lonsdale area, and almost every time we have been put at risk by aggressive and very impatient drivers.
Several times we have been in the middle of a pedestrian crosswalk, with the signal in our favour, and each time drivers have made a left turn off Lonsdale in front of oncoming traffic. They then ‘nudge’ us forward in the crosswalk with their two ton vehicles, while yelling at us to move. I kid you not.
At Lonsdale and 20th, the walk signal counts down very fast from the second you step off the sidewalk.
A driver yesterday felt that gave her license to make the left turn and end up dangerously close to us (we had not reached the other side yet and the signal was now red with about four seconds left), while jabbing her finger at the signal and yelling at us to “get out of the way.”
What did she want us to do, levitate?
In a particularly egregious incident earlier today at the crosswalk on St. Georges, a red car had stopped to allow us to walk at the marked crossing. However, another driver behind in a white SUV attempted to go around the stopped car - while we were still in the crosswalk!
My mom, who was behind me, could have been hit. So could the driver who also ended up being honked at, as they were now in the wrong lane and in the path of oncoming traffic.
These drivers are reckless and irresponsible. I am unfortunately not surprised at the number of pedestrians being struck in crosswalks, because apparently drivers just cannot wait for an extra few minutes, or even seconds, to get where they are going.
North Van RCMP need to get out and about and do some traffic enforcement, and drivers need to take a breath and slow down.
K Henen,
North Vancouver
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