CORNER BROOK, N.L. — Mirror, mirror on the pole, who will fare the best of us all?
Seems like kind of a silly question.
However, the first traffic mirror put up in Stephenville on Brook Street, just across from Ridgeview Avenue is creating a little bit of talk.
Some joke about checking to see if their hair is in place when they drive up to the intersection, while others think it’s great to have another safety measure installed at the location.
There is no doubt this location is dangerous, with snow piling up near a home that is located nearby.
Some people question the home’s location, even though it was likely there before the street was even put in. There are several locations like that in the town, just as there are in many towns or cities that you visit.
It’s a little bit different in planned municipalities, where roads go in before the homes but Stephenville, like many other towns, had the roads go in after some of the homes had already been built.
Traffic mirrors are by no means new and can be a little intimidating for some drivers, but once a motorist gets used to it a quick glance can probably prevent an accident.
A big part of the problem on Brook Street is that many motorists drive too fast on that street, just as they do on many other streets in the town.
How to slow them down could be a problem as many don’t heed the posted speed limits and really don’t seem to care about where the intersections are located.
Traffic mirrors are probably not the answer to all the problems on streets in any community, but they are another aid in preventing some accidents — if used properly.
The promise by the town is that if the first mirrors seems to work out, others will be installed in places where similar problems exist.
The town has already identified the intersection of Churchill Street and St. George’s Avenue as another where a traffic mirror could be of assistance. Most drivers who have pulled up to that intersection would attest that it is a dangerous one.
Motorists have had to nudge their way out into St. George’s Avenue a bit at a time to make sure they don’t go out into the path of an oncoming vehicle. A mirror at that location would provide some additional safety.
Go to the end of St. George’s Avenue where it meets with Grove Street and look left there’s very little to see — a mirror wouldn’t go astray there, either.
These mirrors are relatively inexpensive when balanced against the safety of people in vehicles and pedestrians, so bring them on. Safety should be at the top of the priority list and whatever measures to bring it about should be executed.
