The following is a commentary on a Feb. 4 article in The Telegram paper Re: new highway signage.
Without a doubt, any initiative that has the potential to save lives on our provincial highways has to be commendable. Even if one life is saved, the plan would be considered successful.
For the past three years, our committee has been communicating with government about highway signage and other related highway maintenance matters along Route 100 from Whitbourne to Argentia.
Our successes have been minimal.
While not on the top of the list of highway safety concerns, improvements to our highway signage is desperately needed. This is especially so since Route 100 is an important tourist destination route.
The maintenance work completed on our route last summer was desperate.
Fallen directional signs were not replaced. Two missing intersection warning signs have been ignored for years as well as a sign indicating historic Argentia on the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH).
There is not even a sign on the TCH indicating the Argentia Access Road with the common EXIT# attached.
Lastly, no action has been taken yet on signs that were supposedly passed through Service NL's database in October 2019 to check for compliance.
Certainly, the lack of action taken by government on signage concerns is symbolic of the lack of attention given to maintenance work in general. While priority is given to road surface issues, other concerns like shouldering, guide rail repair and ditching are placed on the back burner even when many are considered safety issues.
While new initiatives are always welcome, we cannot forget about the maintenance required on the infrastructure we currently have.
Ray Murphy, Chairman,
Route 100 Road Improvement Committee,
Dunville
