WOULD IT KILL YOU TO SLOW DOWN, SMILE AND WAVE?
Q&A WITH A FORMER TRAFFIC CONTROL PERSON
CONSTRUCTION IS A FACT OF LIFE in our communities. We all know what it’s like to sit in a vehicle waiting for the traffic control person to wave us through a construction zone, but did you ever wonder what it’s like for the workers trying to keep the rest of us safe? Tradetalk sat down with Sarina Hanschke of the Laborers International Union of North America, Local 1611. A former traffic control person, Hanschke is a longtime advocate for roadside worker safety and training. She’s also a director of Build TogetHER, the women’s committee of the BC Building Trades. You started your career as a traffic control person. What were some of the experiences you had that would demonstrate why folks need to pay attention? There are so many things going on in a work zone that require flaggers to pay attention to multiple factors and spot potential conflicts in movement between the work, pedestrians, cyclists and passing traffic; while calculating the travelling speeds and potential movements of all these factors to recognize when to intervene, slow down, stop and warn each road user to help them safely get through the zone. It only takes a short second for a situation to change. According to statistics, a person’s chances of surviving being struck by a vehicle at 30 km/h is about 84 per cent, which is why that speed limit is ideal for school zones and park zones. When the speed jumps up to 50 km/h, the chances of survival
drop to 27 per cent. And, when the speed goes up to 60 km/h, a person’s chances of surviving being struck by a vehicle drop to less than one per cent. Traffic has been a lot lighter over the past year during the pandemic. What advice do you have for motorists as we approach pre-pandemic traffic patterns, and increasingly fewer hours of daylight? Make sure you give yourself that extra half hour to get around. You’ll be happier that you did. We notice all over surrey that left turns are being replaced with their own solitary light – and that’s because people start taking unnecessary risks. Please keep in mind that we are all here to do a job. It’s the traffic control person’s job to help make sure you get there safely. It might suck being stuck in that traffic in 40-degree heat; but most now have the luxury of air-conditioning, while the poor TCP is out there feeling like an egg frying in a pan and now dealing with people yelling and making rude gestures. Please, slow down, chill out, change the station from Rage Against the Machine to CBC classical or better yet – Enya. Research actually shows your driving habits calm down a bit as a result. Have you ever had some close calls or know folks who did? Over the years, I have had many close calls, and know multiple people who have been injured and a few people who have not been able to make it home to their family, succumbing to their injuries. Drivers need to ask themselves, would it kill you to slow down? It could kill us if you don’t. What would you tell frustrated drivers who think construction is “always” happening and “always” seems to be on their routes? I really recommend – even when you know the route to work – to use Google maps as a means to give you an accurate reading of when you will arrive. It will often detour you around accidents and slowdowns due to work zones. It will help keep you calmer and more focused on what you need to look out for on the road. I always wave and a smile when I pass a flagger because I know the work is hard and really underappreciated. Does that make a difference to the worker? It is so sincerely appreciated to get helpful responses and feedback from the drivers. We know we are inconvenient, and we know it’s annoying to wait in traffic. We are all drivers, too. But no one deserves to be yelled at relentlessly, called stupid, told we are useless or called every name in the book before you even make it to coffee break. We are all in this together. We feel for you, and we hope you know how much we sincerely appreciate a little kindness and understanding on the roads.
30 | tradetalk Fall 2021
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker