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Drivers speed through Salmon Arm park zone at more than twice limit

RCMP’s Citizens Patrol see city employees, taxi drivers among the speeders
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Werner Mathys and Christina Marusiac with Salmon Arm RCMP’s Citizens Patrol clock vehicles’ speeds on the morning of Thursday, Aug. 1 as they go through the 30 km/h park zone by Fletcher Park. They discovered that many drivers were speeding. (Martha Wickett/Salmon Arm Observer)

They might not be quite ‘pedal to the metal,’ but many drivers in Salmon Arm speed past Fletcher Park.

That includes city employees and taxi drivers, according to the findings of Salmon Arm Citizens Patrol on Thursday morning, Aug. 1.

As RCMP associate volunteers, Citizens Patrol members had their speed reader set up on Okanagan Avenue E beside the park from about 7 to 9 a.m.

Although the signs on Okanagan state 30 km/h on both sides of the park, many drivers went by at anywhere from 50 to 75 km/h. Or some would be going that fast until they reached the orange cones and yellow-vested volunteers, and then would abruptly slow down.

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“The city employees are speeding, every one one of them,” remarked volunteer Christina Marusiac, although two city vehicles did go by at the speed limit during the 20 minutes after she commented.

“The city needs to talk with their employees,” she says. “They need to set an example.”

She and volunteer Werner Mathys also noted that two yellow taxis which passed by were speeding.

Mathys notes the 30 km/h park zone is permanent, not like a school zone where the speed limit is only in effect certain hours of the day.

One other thing the volunteers noticed was the lack of a front licence plate on several vehicles. In B.C., it’s the law to have a front plate, Mathys points out.

“It’s a $109 fine if you get caught without one.”

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Mathys says the volunteers get out as often as possible, depending on weather. Sometimes it can be once a week, sometimes two or three times.

Recently they did a stint at 20th Street and 15th Avenue SE.

“Everybody was going 80 and above,” says Mathys.


@SalmonArm
marthawickett@saobserver.net

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As well as using a speed reader to clock drivers on the morning of Aug. 1, Salmon Arm RCMP’s Citizens Patrol volunteers set up a sign contributed by ICBC that warns drivers to put away the cell phones. (Martha Wickett/Salmon Arm Observer)


Martha Wickett

About the Author: Martha Wickett

came to Salmon Arm in May of 2004 to work at the Observer. I was looking for a change from the hustle and bustle of the Lower Mainland, where I had spent more than a decade working in community newspapers.
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