STORY CONTINUES BELOW THESE SALTWIRE VIDEOS

Sometimes I think I should give up driving to save my life. I turn 75 soon and want to make it there. But since supermarket parking lots have become raceways, twice in the past week, I’ve had to slam on the brakes to avoid being broadsided by young men racing through to God knows where in such a hurry.

Also, the roundabout on Belvedere has been a thorn in my side this past week. Twice I was in the roundabout and nearing the exit to the university, when a driver looked my way, saw how close I was and then barrelled on through. I laid on the horn and put a few unmentionable oaths on those two drivers.

Then there was the total out-and-out breaking of the traffic laws, for sure. I was at the traffic lights where Belvedere intersects Brackley Point Road and exits to St. Peters Road. Two cars in front of me, and I can clearly see the traffic light situated on the grassed area of the Esso gas Station, and then the traffic lights across the St. Peters Road. My feeling is, I wait until the traffic light is green on the Esso property, before I go forward. Aha! Not so for the two drivers ahead of me. They took off as soon as that green arrow across the street came on. OMG! What were they thinking? I sure wish I was a traffic cop in these situations. I tell ya, I would have handed out traffic tickets big time. Perhaps this will alert City police to get out there and make themselves a tad busier.

Kudos to the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure for the replacement Confederation Trail bridge over the Morell River. Rather than simply replicating the existing structure, the department extended the span of the bridge by three metres, restoring more of the natural flow which has been restricted for many years.

The Morell River is not only one of the most beautiful and pristine rivers on P.E.I. but also well-known as a fishing river, so this is a welcome improvement. Causeways restrict water flow, resulting in the proliferation of foul-smalling algae and can cause hypoxia or lack of oxygen which kill fish. Hopefully, as other bridges are scheduled for replacement in the coming years, the department will continue to increase their span and free our rivers, creating healthy habitat for wildlife including fish.

As I look around nationally and internationally, I see many government individuals and people working in associations connected to government in leadership positions that should not be in those places. A great many have been elected, aided by some very large donations, which directly results in placing them in a quid pro quo situation. Further, many of them find they have reached their level of incompetence.

This level is known as the Peter Principle and it is ubiquitous. Let me give you an example of this theory in action: Justin Trudeau and Joe Biden. What else can I say?

Yesterday I enjoyed a lovely meal at a restaurant in Summerside. Everything was great but for one small detail... I was dressed for summer with shorts and a light shirt but unfortunately, the air-conditioning in the restaurant made it feel like a winter day. It was seniors day and I took note that many of the patrons had been wise enough to wear sweaters.

I recently registered a car at one of the Access P.E.I. centres. The lady that helped me commented that they sometimes have to wear sweaters. There was a young summer student there with a hoodie on.

Trust me, I love comfort and air-conditioning is one of those luxuries I enjoy. My suggestion is that maybe we could set the indoor temperature a few degrees higher and probably save significant energy with a net benefit to the environment.

Germany is cutting the hot water to all of their public buildings in an effort to save energy.

We don’t need to be radical ... Some simple things can make a difference.

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