RE: “Summer drag racing needs to be stopped,” letter, July 11, and “‘Drag racing’ requires quick decision and action,” letter, July 18.
Dear Editor,
In response to the letters from William Becker and David Cummings regarding “drag racing” in Airdrie, I have bad news for you gentlemen and everyone else negatively affected by speeding, hard accelerating and noisy vehicles driven dangerously by racer wannabees.
I complained to the City of Airdrie about excessive speeding down 40 Avenue back in 2017, and personally visited the RCMP to open a case on this in early 2018. Up to now, very little has been done about this. After my complaints, the City did raise the speed limit on 40 Avenue from 50 km/h to 60 km/h, thereby compounding the problem, consequently indirectly admitting they were powerless to bring the speedsters to justice. The RCMP notified me, in no uncertain terms, it will not provide feedback on my complaint, as there will be no record if any actions on this scourge were taken or not – implying it has no accountability.
Eighteen months later, speeding down 40 Avenue is still the default status, especially early mornings, as dusk approaches and thereafter, as law enforcement fades into the darkness. It's nothing unusual for us to be woken at 3 a.m. by a hard accelerating vehicle, so loud we're able to count the gear shifts when the tires chirp ‘til fourth gear, probably reaching 140 km/h when it passes our house, shattering our sleep with heart palpitations as an added gift.
Welcome to Airdrie, where the City spends thousands of dollars on inspecting garbage bags and formulating water restrictions when it rains every day, and the lawless rule the roads to the detriment of resident’s safety and quality of life.
Rico Warmenhove
Hillcrest