My heart aches for Sarah Beckett’s family at their time of loss. I am praying that maybe the slightest good can come out of this tragedy.
Those like me who live in Langford know how chronically underfunded the RCMP are. Sarah was a kind, caring person who really wanted to look after the residents she served. She worked with me on concerns of speeding in residential areas in Langford, especially in subdivisions like Westhills and roads like Peatt, where cars regularly do more than 20 to 30 km/h over the posted limit.
She shared with me the concerns the RCMP have over having no funding for a speed monitoring division, and therefore they do not have the manpower to do that type of patrolling.
Relying only on the Integrated Road Safety Unit, which only patrols main roads, has led to a “speeding culture” in Langford, because everyone knows that without enforcement, a law simply becomes a suggestion.
Unlike View Royal, which has used speed bumps and stop signs as an alternative, the City of Langford has refused to use either strategy. Whether speed was a factor or not in Sarah’s tragic death, I do not know. However, as Langford grows exponentially, more deaths are imminent if someone does not do something.
I am praying that her sacrifice for the people she served can help save others from the same tragic fate.
Lara Allsopp
Langford