Murray Wood: No blank cheques for blank slates
Murray Wood observes that a fledgling Saskatchewan political party - Saskatchewan United - wants you to send them money...
On Labour Day Monday, a group of Pilot Butte residents stood beside dangerous intersection on Highway 1, holding signs with the message #dyingwaiting, hoping to get people to pay attention to their demand for traffic lights.
“We feel in the community that we are literally dying waiting for the overpasses and something needs to be done now,” said organizer Wanda Campbell.
“We feel in the community that we are literally dying waiting for the overpasses and something needs to be done now,” said organizer Wanda Campbell.
For her the message is personal. Her son, Lane Campbell Antosh died at that intersection on August 9, 2013, and he’s not the only one to lose his life there. She says five people have died there since 2009, including a couple in their 60s from White City.
“Ideally we would like traffic lights at all the intersections on that 17 kilometres of highway in the interim, we’re not asking for it to be a permanent solution,” she said.
Campbell has joined together with people from Balgonie, White City, Emerald Park and Pilot Butte to campaign for a safer way to access their communities while they wait for the promised overpasses to be finished.
Her teenage son died trying to make a left turn onto Highway 1 on a sunny August day. He tried to cross as someone else was turning from the other lane and his car was t-boned. Campbell says she has watched many more experienced drivers make mistakes trying to cross the intersection in high speed traffic.
“The space of time that you have to cross that highway — I think someone mentioned a long time ago — it’s like playing frogger,” she said. “You are literally risking your life as you try to cross that highway.”
“The space of time that you have to cross that highway — I think someone mentioned a long time ago — it’s like playing frogger,” she said. “You are literally risking your life as you try to cross that highway.”
Lane Antosh’s death inspired his high school classmates to rally for change at the Saskatchewan Legislature in April 2013. They did get the speed limit lowered from 110 km per hour to 90 km per hour. Campbell says the lower speed limit helps, but it’s still not enough to keep people safe. A Facebook Group called Aware. Alert. Alive. has more than 1,000 members.
“My fight in this and my position in this is very much from a Mom’s broken heart,” Campbell said. “I don’t want another family to have to go through this. This is horrific, there’s really no other words.”
“My fight in this and my position in this is very much from a Mom’s broken heart,” Campbell said. “I don’t want another family to have to go through this. This is horrific, there’s really no other words.”
The group submitted a petition with 3,000 signatures last year, but Campbell says support for the cause is starting to build again after a couple from White City died in July.
