Editor:
On May 12, I almost became another statistic on 16th Avenue. I was coming home from shopping around 5:30 p.m., driving west on 16th Avenue when I entered the left turn lane at 240th Street, about to turn south. There was an incredibly long, unbroken line of traffic coming from the west and I waited for several minutes until there was a short "break" in the traffic. I noticed a car on the north side of 240th, who seemed to be edging out, I assumed for a better view of oncoming traffic.
As the traffic broke, I started my left hand turn onto 240th. At that moment the car on the north side of 240th ran the stop sign and pulled out, cutting me off in traffic as he turned left onto 16th Avenue in front of me. I almost hit him, and he leaned out of his window to give me the finger and shout obscenities as he went by. I was now stopped in the middle of the eastbound lane of 16th Avenue with traffic bearing down on me. Several vehicles slammed on their brakes, and I managed to get off 16th onto 240th by the skin of my teeth.
That man almost caused a multiple car accident on 16th Avenue. What he did was illegal. Although it doesn't excuse his actions, he was probably fed up waiting to turn left onto 16th Avenue. I could have told him that this action is almost impossible in rush hour on 16th Avenue. He accomplished it by putting my life — and the lives of several others — at risk.
To the Mayor and Council: enough already. I know that there are budgetary considerations, but we're talking about peoples' lives. How much are they worth? We need traffic lights, and we need them now, not phased in over eight years. One idiot put my life and other lives at risk. I wasn't able to get his license number but he was wearing a safety vest and driving a small car, and he had a very foul mouth. You can't legislate stupid — all you can do is make it safer for the rest of us.
Trudy Handel, South Langley