Staggered lunch would cure Iqaluit traffic woes

I have heard that a three-way stop sign has been voted down. The council members seem to have a short memory concerning the reasons for the stop signs being put up in the first place.

The stop signs at the Northmart and at the hospital were installed in order to slow down the traffic and make it safer for pedestrians. Because there were no sidewalks or illuminated crosswalks, the stop signs would offer some protection for the pedestrian who needed to cross at those areas.

We still do not have sidewalks or illuminated crosswalks, but the motorists have managed to convince the council members that the stops are not necessary, because they slow down the traffic too much.

Well at least the stop signs succeeded in doing what they were intended to do.

So now we take down the stop signs and speed up the traffic once again! Isn’t that just great for the pedestrians?

The simplest solution to this problem would be to stagger the lunch hours. What city in this country has everyone rushing out to eat between 12 and 1:00?

It would not be that difficult to arrange. Those who need to be with children during lunch would take their lunch to coincide with their children. Those who do not have these commitments could take lunch at some other time such as a 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon or 11:30 a.m to 12:30 p.m., or 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. or 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

This would not only eliminate the traffic problem – it would lighten the load at the restaurants and taxi companies.

There would be no need to close some businesses or government offices during lunch because not all the staff would have to leave. Business and government would benefit, plus people could conduct personal business on their own time rather than company time, thereby saving the company time and money. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

Best of all, it would keep the speed down and the pedestrians safer until the sidewalks and illuminated crosswalks show up, but that is another issue.

Theresa Rodrigue
Iqaluit