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If parking in Rimbey ain’t broke don’t fix it

Dear Editor:

This letter is in reference to a couple of recent articles in the Rimbey Review about parking.

I wish to give my support to C. Parker (Rimbey Review Dec. 14, 2010). I believe this opinion reflects the reality of parking in the town of Rimbey.

Joe Croken, Rimbey’s bylaw officer, states that angle parking is a traffic hazard. (Rimbey Review Nov. 30, 2010). Ya Joe, so is parallel parking. Has consideration been given to the fact that when a vehicle is parallel parked, the driver must open their door into an active traffic lane and then step into the same area to exit their vehicle and vice versa to reenter their vehicle?

When I go to Rimbey to do my shopping, banking, postal service etc., I very seldom have to parallel park, be it on Rimbey’s main drags or private commercial lots. The system of angle parking works well for most of us.

I, for one, have no support for the opinions raised by J. Bell (Rimbey Review Dec. 21, 2010).

I question J. Bell’s opinion that angle parking causes more accidents than parallel parking. Most of us park more often in an angle parking orientation as compared to a parallel orientation; therefore the rule of probability would dictate that more accidents would be caused by angle parking. That does not necessarily equate with angle parking being more dangerous than parallel parking.

In reference to J. Bell’s statement that people who don’t know how to parallel park should not have a driver’s license, that sounds to me like an overreaction.

I would also suggest to J. Bell that he sit on the technical book. I would much sooner be surrounded by courteous, common sense drivers than those “absolute by the book” drivers. Just because something is legal does not necessarily make it right.

In reference to the letter to the editor “Parking changes not considered”: (Dec. 28, 2010).

I believe Coun. Joe Anglin may have stepped out of line when he suggested Mr. Croken’s comments may have been taken out of context by readers. I give readers much more credit than that. If Mr. Croken feels his comments have been taken out of context, it is Mr. Croken’s responsibility to tell us what he really meant when he was reported as saying: “…angle parking is a traffic hazard…you have the four way stop and when people back out they are blocking the intersection…parallel parking would make a safer main street…you can go to the four way stop and it is like Russian roulette trying to figure out who’s next.”

I don’t believe most readers have taken these comments out of context. Mr. Croken expressed his opinion, the readers have responded.

If it is not broken don’t fix it. Have a safe driving year.

Aubrey Finnen