Dear editor:

It’s interesting to read the two recent, local public safety stories and compare the contrasting approaches to handling them both.

On the one hand, we have the traffic camera at Crossroads School and, on the other, we have the dangerous E. coli levels at Queen’s Royal Beach (and, likely, the much-ignored Ryerson Park beach).

In the former case, money seems to be no object in terms of acquiring, maintaining, reinstalling and surveilling the safety technology brought to bear on the potential liability.

In the latter case, it appears that the cheapest and least labour-intensive solution is thought to suffice.

That’s a glaring disconnect for anyone with open eyes, especially since it’s also glaringly unnecessary.

It would cost very little for the town to plant a placard at Queen’s Royal Park with hinged, lockable, clear acrylic displays (one English, one French) into which a designated town employee could routinely insert a printout of the beach’s latest safety rating as found on the QR-related website. Simple, low-tech, reliable and far more user-friendly.

As for the traffic camera, its obvious connection to widening concerns over what seems to be an ever-intensifying surveillance state makes for a real uphill public sentiment battle on an otherwise flat stretch of road — especially when that battle appears already to have been won, judging by the way drivers have taken to slowing right down there with, or without, the camera being upright.

My simple thoughts, for what they’re worth.

Bruce Dickson
NOTL