I reside on Bear Mountain in a subdivision near the bottom of the steep hill.
During the past six months there have been at least six serious crashes on the downhill road, all requiring ambulances, fire trucks and police attendance, some with serious injuries.
All of these tragedies were caused by people simply driving too fast in a 50 kilometre per hour zone. The top to bottom distance on Bear Mountain is two kilometers and people driving at excessive speed stand to gain about 20 seconds before arriving on Millstream Road. The cost of dealing with the carnage must be excessive.
I suggest the West Shore RCMP set up a regular radar surveillance near the bottom of the steep hill, at the Stone Gate entry. Speeds of 60 to 65 km/h are not a real danger, but those who decide to drive their vehicles far in excess of those limits, to the tune of 100 km/h, are causing the crashes, nearly all of which are during daylight hours.
A few months of weekly radar checks could perhaps drive the point home to those who decide to risk their lives and the lives of other drivers in order to save a few seconds in travel time.
The monetary saving in terms of emergency vehicles would far exceed the cost of the check points, as well as save lives and injury related medical services.
As usual, a few irresponsible people have created an untenable situation that needs to be curtailed.
Hopefully, the police will consider establishing a strong presence in this area of current motor vehicle mayhem.
Joe Kupkee
Langford