Letter: Concrete islands on Carry Drive a hazard

By Letter to the Editor on October 19, 2022.

Dear editor,

The two new centrally located raised-concrete islands on Carry Drive are, in my view, an unnecessary and potentially hazardous roadway addition.

Traffic channelling could be achieved with painted markings, (as currently demonstrated by the newly painted road markings leading up to, surrounding, and behind the subject raised-concrete islands). Painted islands are also common and don’t require an “object marker” warning sign, front and back. While they could be covered with snow, so too could the associated traffic lane marking lines.

Also, it is likely that increased precautions are now necessary for our grader operator’s snow-clearing operations around the concrete islands. The new Carry Drive concrete islands offer no obvious advantage over painted traffic islands, in my opinion, but could potentially present an unnecessary roadway hazard to drivers.

If others oppose the new concrete islands, hopefully, they will object through Letters to the Editor (or Ticked/Tickled), which may possibly inspire a review. Such opposing letters can be influential.

To illustrate, letters were possibly a factor leading up to reversing the 2021 proposed power plant sale decision, (including one from this grumpy old man). See Letters to the Editor Archives-Medicine Hat News, on pages 30-32. Thankfully, the power plant decision was withdrawn and it continues to generate remarkable income for our city. Hopefully the new concrete islands will also be challenged by many others and ultimately be removed.

P.S. – Editor’s comments, (and sledge hammers, if island elimination is authorized), are welcome!