I would like to go on record and thank the town of Qualicum Beach for removing the recently-imposed lower speed limits so enthusiastically endorsed by Peter Bolten in his letter to The NEWS (‘Not Age Friendly’, Sept. 17 edition).
We do not have the crowded conditions and narrow streets of the European towns he mentions, and are fortunate to enjoy many wide roads with generous shoulders, where sensible speed limits prevail.
If children are at risk in school zones, as Bolten claims, changes should be made to school zones, but this is the first I have heard of any such problem. Forcing motorists to drive at artificially low speeds for extended distances is likely to make them impatient, and is self-defeating.
As for the endangered cyclists Bolten mentions repeatedly in his letter, I often see them blowing past stop signs, riding on town sidewalks and riding outside shoulder markings, apparently oblivious of their obligation to ride safely and follow the rules.
R. Vincent Parsons
Qualicum Beach