Community Column by Don Butt (August 2017)

Town of Mono, ON (Don Butt) This month I want to talk about a very special sign. It belonged to Mono Community Policing Committee and was looked after by us, updated, and maintained for many years. We were quite proud of the sign as the local OPP detachment said it reduced the number of accidents on Airport Road in Mono by about 30 percent.
We were just in the process of updating the sign when we were told by Mono’s Deputy Mayor that the sign had been taken down by the County (it was on county property) because it was deteriorating and the support posts were rotted off. If you have never seen the sign it gave stats as to how many accidents on the road (in Mono), how many injuries, and how many deaths occurred since 1978. It also said "slow down and live" which again from the OPP, speeding was a main cause of accidents.

To my knowledge it has not been replaced and this occurred in early spring. I know that the county has practically taken over the sign because they want to change to an electronic sign which of course is completely out of our reach, costwise. As of yesterday the sign has not been replaced but if we had been doing it, it would have by now. We had to cancel our order, when the county got involved. I understand that they have put an OPP officer in a cruiser on this dangerous road temporarily. This apparently is their answer to the missing sign.

One of our members provided me with a photo of the old sign, and it is still quite readable. If we had been notified we could have propped up the sign so that it was still there awaiting a new one. I feel that we have been poorly treated in this and wonder where the county was for the last 30 years. Enough said.

We are in the middle of summer holiday time so drive with great caution and no distractions, please!

Safety Tip Be a pro-active driver and reap the safety rewards every time you drive. (this tip comes to you from Doug Annette and the Skid Control School at Oakville, ON (www.Skidcontrolschool.com).

Phone Nos. (a list of valuable numbers to have)
For all emergencies – 911
To report non-emergency incidents or bad drivers 1-800-310-1122
Or by cell phone only *677

Road Watch
To report unsafe driving behaviour contact OPP Communications Centre:
*OPP (*677) on your Cell or
1-888-310-1122 on your Landline.

If you prefer a paper form, our forms are available at Mono Plaza and OPP at Primrose. Please use them, the life you may save could be your own or a loved one.

Don Butt is currently the Public Relations and Media Contact for the Mono Community Policing Committee. If you would like more information on anything covered in Don’s Column or would like to see a topic of public interest or safety covered; contact him here.