February 3, 2015
1761
To the Editor:
RE: "Keep the gate closed except in an emergency in winter, says reader"
We would like to clarify some points from Joanne Martin’s letter on the gate debate.
Her first statement says:
“It makes sense to do as we have been doing for years - open the gate (between Upper Lorne Beach Road and Victoria Street in Inverhuron) in the winter if Highway 21 or the B-line is closed. And only then.”
That is the problem. Because that is NOT what we have been doing for years. That is what the deputations to Kincardine council were asking for last week – for that and only that.
For all the years the gates have been there, they have been closed and padlocked 365 days of the year, only being opened rarely by police or road crew authority to allow a Bruce Power bus or a municipal service through. All other access has been denied.
We have lived year-round in Inverhuron for 41 years. Anyone who has experienced a winter in Inverhuron knows how truly beautiful and peaceful it is. The snow falls silently but the wind doesn’t whip it into huge drifts or produce white-outs because of the protection of the trees. Even on very stormy days in the winter, visibility isn’t a problem on the roads. The same holds true for Lorne Beach and the southerly part of the B-line (Bruce County Road 23).
However, a locked gate denies access for necessary workers, for medical help and for supplies. So lives are risked on stormy days on the northerly section of the B-line when Highway 21 is closed, even though a safer alternative exists.
It is completely uncharitable of Inverhuron or Lorne Beach residents to try and deny safe passage for travellers on stormy days, particularly as the roads in question are publicly-funded roads, not privately-owned by the people of Inverhuron or Lorne Beach.
No one is suggesting that these roads be changed in any way. These are residential neighbourhoods with no sidewalks and the roads are used for recreational purposes throughout the year. But on stormy days when Highway 21 is closed, the winter residents should be willing to share the wealth and take caution for extra traffic. And for the summer residents of these areas – don’t worry about it. The car tracks in the snow will be gone long before you arrive for the summer.
Lois and Gordon Bradley
Inverhuron
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