Thursday, May 26, 2011
I have a 10 year old daughter and so we are often discussing things like sharing, working together, being generous and kind, cooperating, working hard etc. These conversations started when she was a toddler, entered kindergarten (isn't that where we all learned to share) and now throughout her career at JDH. I think all parents want to teach their kids to be able to contribute to the community and to be sensitive to others - and then grow into adults with those qualities. I was very aware of the concept of sharing as we travelled in Ontario during this past March Break. I was driving and had to "share the road" with horse & buggies (Mennonite Country in the Kitchener area), tractors (yes - we visited wineries in the Niagara District), cyclists (travelling from Niagara on the Lake to see the Falls) and many people walking. I remember years ago going to Florida to visit my in-laws and everyone there drove golf carts. The "share the road signs" were about the golf carts, cars and bikes in that part of the world. Clearly there are many demands on our roads.
As we move into the spring and cycling begins again up here I hope that the drivers, cyclists, tractor drivers, motorcyclists and local government can all share the responsibility for making our roads safe - for everyone - for commuters, for tourists and for our kids. It isn't a single group that causes problems or solves problems. We all share the responsibility of following the rules of the road, of making good decisions, of being on the look out for each other, of being good citizens and working together to use this shared resource. As a parent, I trust that the vehicles will slow down when they pass my daughter. As a parent, I will continue to teach my daughter how to ride safely. I trust that the municipality will continue to pave shoulders, increase awareness about shared use of the road and will be supportive to all the uses. We live in a beautiful part of the province. We are a tourist destination. Shared used of the roads is only going to continue. I hope we can embrace it and realize how much it benefits of all us.