Road Block
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Submitted by bob on Sun, 23/03/2008 - 1:03pm.
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Posts: 79
Joined: 26-10-2006 |
I am usually pretty laid back. BUT, who was the genius who decided to set up a seatbelt, booze check at the ski hill on the saturday afternoon of the easter long weekend. The lineup was all the way into the parking lots. The only one who benefited was Kelseys and the Griz bar. Yep lets just bottleneck 6000 people and enhance their skiing experience. Many people missed dinner reservations etc. Just when I was beginning to give the RCMP the benefit of the doubt again. |
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Joined: 01-12-2005
Having lived up at the ski hill for 3 years, I have seen some very reckless and dangerous driving coming from guests staying at the ski hill. This isn't the big city, folks... it's Fernie. Slow down - that's why you got out of town for the weekend, right? Too many people don't wear their seat belts and how many people after enjoying some drinks on the deck of the Griz decide to venture into town?
There have been numerous accidents in the past years on that stretch of the highway, and I'm guessing a fair number of them are due to people driving like idiots (I'm thinking in particular of an accident that happened the year before last where a young girl was killed). Thank goodness the RCMP are doing their job. They should set up road blocks more often on busy weekends and people should be grateful they have been inconvenienced because the roads are that much safer.
Joined: 25-11-2007
The RCMP should "road block" the ski hill every Saturday , regardless of diner reservations, if it kept 1 guy/girl from driving drunk it was worth it......stop your whinging!
Joined: 23-10-2007
I couldn't agree more. A few winters ago I was taken to Fernie's hospital in an ambulance after the SUV in which I was a passenger was hit head-on on the Highway near the ski hill turn. The driver had got way too drunk up on the ski hill and was then driving back to his home in Fernie. Both vehicles were written off and my right leg was injured pretty bad.
Good news that the RCMP are reminding people of the importance of wearing seatbelts and driving only when sober - had we not been wearing seatbelts, I might not have been here typing this now.
I wonder if people would complain about missing their dinner appointments over something like this if one of their family had been killed in a drink driving road crash.
Check out this UK drink driving ad.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX1q66ruuBM
Joined: 23-12-2006
If the RCMP wanted to cut down on drinking and driving then they should have setup the roadblock around 6 when people are finishing apres and heading home.
Instead they setup later afternoon and ended around 5. The only thing they accomplished was a huge backlog of vehicles that sat and idled while they waited to get off the mountain, and a bunch of pissed off people.
Not so smart.
Joined: 23-10-2007
P'raps. Do you know for sure they had no impact in terms of either catching drink drivers nor persuading people not to drink up on the hill and then drive?
I agree they should have gone on later - but a *lot* of people who get up there at 9am for first tracks then leave the hill around 2-2.30pm (particularly those who don't ski much and can't take the whole day) having had a fair amount to drink over lunch.
Joined: 01-12-2005
I guess it depends what their motivation was behind the road block.
If they wanted to catch people in the act then maybe that wasn't the best time.
I have a feeling they are much smarter than that and their intentions were to hit at the busiest time, not to catch people, but to educate people and to show their presence. That way they are deterring people from breaking the law.
Joined: 26-10-2006
I agree with sanook on this one. I would really like to see the numbers on this. You can see the road block well in advance. If you have open liquor, it is tossed, if your seat belt isn't on just buckle up. I would imagine they didn't catch anyone at the times they were there, and were a huge annoyance and just pissed people off. Great for their image. I imagine that they don't really care about that though. All they would have had to do is walk through the Griz bar a few times to let those who are drinking know that they are around. No need to worry about the other 5900 people, Just a waste of time and resources IMHO. Would be way more effective to do it randomly during the season when it is not so busy, just to let people know that a road block is a possibility.
Joined: 10-06-2007
they should set them up in the morning, be much more effective,