Everyone must learn to play th “HONOR THE. elders,’’ “Respect old age,’’ nice comforting sentiments when we’re wrinkled and grey. But don’t try to take them to the bank, as the saying goes. Eleanor THE VINTAGE YEARS Those lofty dicta were written and quoted when the pace of life was considerably slower. They are thin as air when you try to wrap yourself in them at one of our busy intersections. Unfortunately, we’ve let ourselves be lulled into thinking that our undisguised badges of white hair, canes, hand-carts and general cluelessness merit motorized indulgence. To some extent, they do, and people are kind. But we’re taving advantage. 1 found out just how unreason- able 1 myself was being when I took what I regarded as a problem to city hall. | got my comeup- pance, and an eye-opener at the same time. Young man named Len in Engineering made it very plain that you and I err in our pe- jorative views of traffic and con- trol of same. That leg we're standing on is a hollow reed. Myself had been acting in exact- ly the manner he was deploring. You see, Keith Road Park has been Jooking so beautiful these last weeks, garlanded with blossoms, lushly green, that I’d taken to getting off the uphill bus at that path from the Cenotaph that meets with Lonsdale. Thus would 1 make my way in a nor- theasterly direction to my build- ing, on the upper side of the park. Where my path hits Upper Keith, the westbound traffic has got the bit in its teeth, what with no interruption for a string of blocks, so it hits the curve with the Zoot on the pedal, expecting to take it in stride. Now 1, because of that existing path, established, surely, for the safe conduct of ladies through the park, have been trying to cross there, to achieve the entrance to my apartment, relying stubbornly on the fact that that’s where the path exists. A reaily goofy presumption. Motorcycles come round there hell-for-leather, hoping to o’er- leap Lonsdate in one swell foop. Buses abound, and single-minded westbound traffic aims its radiators right at the importunate pedestrian. A talk with Len ~- I wasn’t asking for a crosswalk, !’m not that naive, but | did hope for a “Warning — Lady Crossing’’ sign — put my dream in proper perspective. “'Never,’’ was how he expressed it. Pithily. ‘Never would 1 create such an interruption at that spot. insane. Cars have just cleared St. George’s, now you want them to be prepared to stop at a blind curvel Lady, you’d have a huge used-car-lot inside of 10° se- conds.”* ‘But 1 love walking through the park there, and there is after all a ‘ath already at that place.” “So use your head. The situa- tion, if not the path, has changed. Get off the bus wherever you please, but use the proper side- walks and cross at proper corners, and then you can tzke all the walks you wish, Just don’t involve fast-moving automobiles in your scenario. There are provisions made to keep you safe — you MPLET pion “Copp Cha have to play your part.” Of course he’s right, and that Jast sentence is the stinger in the tale, ‘You have to play your part."* We old folks are in danger of abdicating our responsibility for ourselves. That's bad. Look at the way we've sabotaged our Medical Plan — not alone with unneces- sary office calls, though they con- tribute, but by failing to take re- sponsibility for our own preserva- tion. We continue to smoke, to drink 'S arkplugs, scope test ignitiori, adjust all ignition specs and road test vehicle. *V6 and V8 engines slightly extra. -UBE;- OILS check transmi ... Lubricate chassis, differential oil, inspect hoses, belts, check battery condition, power steering, windshield washer fluid, check tire pressures and tread wear. Lube door locks and EINSPECTIO wheels, clean out ‘dust ... Remove all four and report condition of linings and wheel cylinders. SERVICE PARTS BODY SHOP alcohol, to overeat. especially of those things we like with chocolate and ice-cream on them, We forget to wear the shady hat and court skin cancer, and we expect jarge heavy accelerating vehicles to make obeisance like Sir Raleigh. The account will have to be set- tled, one of these days, and we'll have no one but ourselves to blame, which will make us very cranky indeed. Best we chauge now, before it’s too late. Patient, concerned and skilled people spend hours designing and eir part refining simple straightforward ways of getting us about safely, and we throw the whole thing into a cocked hat by sashaying across the park expecting to be pro- tected. in actual fact, cross-walks are going to be fewer, Len says. Bolder, the new ones, but fewer, simply because familiarity breeds contempt. We will have to adjust our routes, perhaps, to comply with basic safety. He and his cohorts can only hape we'll live to see the day. FULL ENGINE TUNE UP PARTS & LABOR INCLUDED Included in this service is a FREE 29-point inspection and report to ensure your safety and peace of mind. $30.00 value. WITH THIS AD ONLY & This is approximately « three hour service and includes consultation time wit' shop manager, if requested, all for only $99.95 parts and labor included. It is a minimum $75.00 SAVING on our regular pricing. Larger motorhomes -— extra charge for brake inspection. WE HONOR ICBC CLAIMS ey) HOURS: MON-FRI 7:30AM - 5:30PM SAT 8:30 - 5PM 980-8501 980-2055 980-5423