CBS and RNC team up to reinforce safe driving message

Conception Bay South Mayor Darrin Bent flanked by councillor-at-large Christine Butler and Royal Newfoundland Constabulary spokesman Const. James Cadigan held a press conference outside St. George’s Elementary at the Start of Safe Driving Week May 12 to plead with drivers to show more care and alertness on the town’s roads. Craig Westcott photo
By Craig Westcott
With the end of school just weeks away and the prospect of thousands of children spending more time walking and bicycling along Conception Bay South’s highways and byways, council and the police teamed up May 13 to ask drivers to slow down and stay alert.
The message came at the start of Safe Driving Week in Canada and featured a heavy presence of Royal Newfoundland Constabulary patrol vehicles throughout town, particularly in school zones.
At a press conference outside St. George’s Elementary in Long Pond, Mayor Darrin Bent thanked the RNC for coming out to highlight the road safety message and for being a partner in the Town’s effort to improve safety on its roads.
“We always highlight road safety for our residents,” said Bent, who was accompanied by councillor-at-large Christine Butler and RNC spokesperson Const. James Cadigan. “We think about our seniors who are trying to get around, and especially this time of year when children are excited about the school year coming to an end and summer coming on. We’re going to see more of them out on our roadways in the town and their safety is paramount. We just want to make this a wakeup call for people driving through our town. You have to be mindful that safety of our residents is paramount, and we are taking it very seriously.”
Bent said there is an incredible amount of speeding throughout CBS and it’s probably the single biggest issue raised regularly by residents.
“I think we all know we have a four-lane highway through the centre of our town that is a speed zone, we know that,” said the mayor. “But I have to tell you, it seems to be just as bad in some areas on the side roads and that’s even more alarming, because they don’t have sidewalks in those areas, and those are residential areas. So, we’re really concerned about those areas.”
Distracted driving is also a huge problem, said Bent, raising an issue that is common throughout the country since the proliferation of cellphones.
Const. Cadigan agreed that speeding, aggressive behaviour by some drivers, and distracted driving are big issues throughout the RNC’s coverage area. That’s why the force’s partnership with towns such as CBS is so important, he explained, in terms of trying to persuade people to exercise more care.
“The most valuable piece that comes into play when it comes to battling dangerous driving and aggressive behaviour is collaboration with the communities we serve,” said Cadigan. “This relationship here with CBS is so valuable to that effort.”
The police presence on display in CBS that morning, Cadigan added, was just a segment of what the RNC and RCMP were planning during Road Safety Week.
“When we are out and about, the last thing we want to experience is to respond to a collision or an event that is the result of behaviour on our roads,” said Cadigan. “It’s not just your wellness, or your vehicle, or those occupying your vehicle, to be concerned about. It is the whole community. Because the moment that you’re distracted for a second, or the moment that you’re doing too high a speed, that could be the moment that you change somebody’s family’s lives for ever.”
Bent noted the Town is waiting to see whether the Province, when it implements its traffic camera ticketing system, will include provincial roads in CBS, which is all of Route 60, along with the Foxtrap Access Road.
“To be honest with you, I wish we didn’t have to do this,” said the mayor. “I wish we didn’t have to spend the money on traffic calming and I wish we didn’t have to spend time trying to get people to slow down in our areas. It’s money that could be better spent on sidewalks, on road repair and on water and sewer and on other things that the public needs. Unfortunately, we are spending taxpayers’ dollars to slow taxpayers down.”