TREC A ALT EE ANDOU DAME DE See BENE SI Ea at

Fromme parents hope
to make school safer

lronically, parents a major part of the problem

THE FROMME Parent
Group Traffic Safety
Committee has been con-
versing a great deal with
Nerth Vancouver District
during the present schcol
year.

In fact, for at least a decade the
committee has been requesting of
the district small but important
changes to the area in and around
Fromme elementary school, Argyle
secondary school and Cedars pre-
school.

In general, the committee is
requesting more potent regulations
regarding illegal parking, unneces-

sary speed and a lack of due care
and attention by pedestrians and
drivers using Fromme Road,
Frederick Road, Croft Road and
Hendecourt Road in Lynn Valley.

Ironically, the largest group of
offenders are the parents of stu-
dents attending these schools,
closely followed by wily teen dri-
vers tearing around Argyle sec-
ondary. .

Since it is becoming obvious
that many drivers choose to ignore
such obvious signs as “No Stopping
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.”, “No Parking
(anytime)” and the distinct white
lines of a marked crosswalk, the
committee has requested additional
signs and road markings. However
redundant new signage would be, it

pears some drivers need to be hit
over the head with a figurative 2X4.

The committee has also request-
ed new signs regulating speed and
passing.

I recent! iy ‘spent a Friday after-
noon in this neighborhood to «
observe just how warranted these
requests are. Sure enough, many

nts were ing their cars ille-
gally to fetch and load their chil-
dren. At one point, as if on cue, one

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tad darted across the street after
making a weak attempt at checking
for cars. Since he could not see
through a large, and illegally
parked, truck he assumed all was
clear; it wasn't. Fortunately, the
approaching driver noticed the boy
in pienty of time.

More perplexing than the dan-
gerous laziness of some parents
that are choosing to disregard pask-
ing regulations — thereby reducing
the visibility of all involved — is
the way these same parents are
teaching their children to cross the
street.

One Dad, apparently in a bit of
a hurry, walked his son up the mid-
dle of the road end helped him into
the back seat of his illegally parked

car on the driver’s side!

Now, I’ve never raised a kid, but
YT have been one and recat] how
easy it was to pick up bad habits,
walking down the middle of the
road net being one of them (in fact,
I secretly believe that my mother
followed me to school in order to
ensure that I crossed streets safely
until | was 17-years-old).

On the other hand, ! also wit-
nessed a young woman — wi, I
understand, works at a nearby day-
care — instruct her charges (three
or four at a time) clearly and suc-
cinctly to “hold hands, stay close,
stop, look both ways and cross
quickiy but not in a panic”. Bravo!

Norm Nikkel, of the district's
traffic department, told me that the
committee’s concerns were being
addressed presently and that a
council meeting with parents fast
week proved to be fruitful (the
tesults of that meetizig will be dis-
cussed in next week’s column).

In the meantime, Nikkel has
sent a copy of the very popular
“Parent Parking Patrol Program” to
the Fromme Parent Group Traffic
Safety Committee stating: “There
are many benefits of getting parents
involved to monitor their own
unsafe and illegal action and simi-
lar actions by some other drivers
and students.”

He’s right, of course. Get
involved. Be safe.

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