Three weeks ago marked a tragic moment when a young life was taken. Now, a group of students are looking for some way to use the tragedy to help make improvements and keep people in Athabasca safe.
Their proposal would see the Rotary Way path alongside Highway 55 on the east hill become a lighted pathway, thereby keeping walkers off the busy and dangerous highway.
The group has already approached Athabasca County and will make a presentation tonight to town council, a project that should at the very least be considered in spite of its likely high cost.
The current street lights are on the opposite side of the highway, which barely sheds enough light on the road let alone the path that extends well down into the ditch.
The path gets a lot of use, even in the winter. However, once darkness hits, there are few that want to use it as it is difficult to see where one is walking. It can also be a scary proposition for some, who worry about running into an animal or attacked by a person hiding in the darkness.
Bringing that section of Rotary Way into the light will take ideas, money and work, something that may not be easy to come by in these economic times.
However, isn’t the safety and confidence of the public is worth it?
