Sir: This is a first for me to write to your paper and I’m also an avid reader every week. I just have a quick comment on an issue that happened recently to me.
Now, I’ve seen a video a few weeks ago on Facebook showing a worker inside his piece of machinery taking cell phone video of vehicles speeding through their construction zone on Countryview Line and Highway 40 basically right beside the golf course. The video showed people speeding through the zone and also included a sign that says, “Slow down, we have families too.” Which is perfectly fine.
But more recently, coming down Countryview Line, I met another construction crew near Prince Albert Side Road going towards Hwy. 40. I saw the work site coming up and proceeded to slow down before getting to the area of work. There were two vehicles quite a distance in front of me to where they were allowed to proceed forward.
I was a bit of a distance behind those vehicles and expected the worker to show me the stop side of the sign to let the traffic in the other direction proceed. As I was getting closer and slowing down to a safe speed, the worker left the slow side of the sign for me to keep going. As I neared the zone, the worker was moving his arm in a circular motion to continue straight, which I did, but as I was getting closer he starts his starts moving his arm faster and faster for me to go through.
It was almost as if you were playing baseball and hit a for sure triple but as you reach third base your coach is spinning his arm so fast for you to run to home.
I remembered the video I saw and wanted to be sure the workers were safe as well as me. I just think it’s a bit of a oxymoron that you’re asked to drive slow and safe but yet it felt as this worker wanted me to go much, much quicker to get past the area so the other direction of traffic could proceed. I was just a little dumbfounded and shocked.
I wasn’t in a hurry to go anywhere. I could have easily waited if he turned the sign for me to stop.
I’m just trying to do what they would like from area drivers.
Ken Barnes
Chatham-Kent
