March 5th was a tough day for a family, as their son, who was killed while riding his bike to Leduc and back.
This was something he had done before, mainly for exercising for a trip to the mountains.
He was hit by a truck and it was not his fault, he had lights on and was travelling in the right lane.
It was not the fault of the driver of the vehicle, as apparently no charges were laid against the driver.
On March 6th, a bicycle painted white was be placed in the ditch in proximity of the accident and it will be there for years to come.
Wherever it is placed, one thing is for sure, it is meant to make drivers more aware of cyclists.
That is a good thing, but at the same time it will be a distraction for drivers that might be interested in finding the location of the accident.
As a member of a volunteer fire and rescue service for many years, I know how people will turn around and come back for another look if there is vehicle in the ditch or rolled on its roof.
One example is just a little while ago when I was driving south on Highway 827. The road was icy, but it seemed okay.
I noticed a flock of ravens and, usually when you see more than one, you can be sure there is a dead animal in the ditch along here somewhere.
So I took a glance in the ditch, and that is when it happened.
The car made a slight swerve and I over-reacted trying to gain control, causing it to go the opposite way.
By the time it was all said and done, I was in the ditch and in a foot of snow.
I feel for the parents of the young man and I feel for the driver of the truck. It must be terrible for both parties to see a life lost in an accident.
Like the bicycle, I have seen crosses planted along the highway.
I think these kind of markers should not be allowed in the ditch.
They would be as much of a distraction as using a cell phone.
Suppose some person lost his or her life and it was blamed on a marker in the ditch.
Just a thought.
Peder Damgaard
Colinton
