Roadside Memorials

[Russ79]

What if rather than putting makeshift monuments on the side of the road where your loved one died, you take your grief and put it into action and clean up that section of road in honor of your loved one? Everytime you feel like greiving you can head out to that road and pick up garbage. Win win for everyone, you get to grieve in the spot you want and the rest of us get clean roadways.

I'm sure that would actually work for some people, especially if the victim loved a particular section of road, thats a great idea.
Then they can erect a memorial stating this street was cleaned in their memory!! Everyone would appreciate that, win win.

[Advocate]

What if rather than putting makeshift monuments on the side of the road where your loved one died, you take your grief and put it into action and clean up that section of road in honor of your loved one? Everytime you feel like greiving you can head out to that road and pick up garbage. Win win for everyone, you get to grieve in the spot you want and the rest of us get clean roadways.

I'm sure that would actually work for some people, especially if the victim loved a particular section of road, thats a great idea.
Then they can erect a memorial stating this street was cleaned in their memory!! Everyone would appreciate that, win win.

Some municipalities have such programs, you can present this idea to your Mayor and council and see if they would supply signs for local streets, or ask the local Lions Club to become involved before you present to your council.

[KTMC]

I would have no idea where they are buried, but we can go to the pole to remember them.

If I don't know the people that died at that location the memorial means nothing to me, people say its a reminder to drive safe but they are fooling themselves. This is a "can't happen to me" society and memorials won't change that all they do is say "someone did something dumb here and tragically a life was lost". I know that is not always the case and sadly its commonly not the person who's life was lost that did something dumb but memorials without personal connection can't tell you that.

I Agree with you 100%. If you have lost someone to a tragic accident and a memorial is set up in their memory, you would hope that, other than a site for grieving, that it would have meaning to others who drive along that road and see it and it would change their mind when they drive home drunk/tired/texting/etc that night. But as Oxl3y pointed out that unfortunately we do live in a "Can't happen to me" society and people just don't think of that. They still drive home drunk or on their cells or whatever. I remember when I went to school (not too long ago) that we would have people come and talk to us about the effects of drugs or unsafe sex on our lives and the kids in my class had that exact same attitude, me included and the weekend after that they would be partying, drugs involved and driving while being impaired. Its sad to look back and think about our attitude towards the message that was being presented to us. And the same goes with speeding. "Okay I'm speeding, so what? I won't get into an accident." But you can't control that. Roadside memorials are in some ways there to remind people that "yes it can happen to you" but really, no one actually thinks that.

[fluffy]

When you come right down to it, roadside memorials are more for the people who erect them than anyone else. As was said, if you are personally acquainted with the person who died, there may be some meaning to it, but all in all, they are an expression of the pain and emotion involved in losing a loved one made by those grieving. They have little meaning for anyone who didn't know the victim unless they choose to make it so. I see the memorials as harmless really, they are not a significant distraction and as long as they don't get messy they aren't particularly ugly.

[TheBank]

If you cant focus on the road you shouldnt be on the road....road side memorials are no more distracting than anything else on or around the roadways....People need to get their heads on straight....what a joke.

[Tianna.K.]

I can see both sides to this argument clearly.
My personal take is that roadside memorials can get pretty trashy looking. That being said, I think the idea of allowing them for one year is suitable. I think that memorials should only be allowed to be erected by a loved one or family member that applies to do so. That way there is recourse available if the memorial is not maintained and needs to be dealt with.
I do not agree that the only option beyond that be an insignificant metal band that will not be noticed at all. The band is almost insulting in size and significance.

The reason I put a bit of emphasis on the significance, is as others have said for those times when a memorial can be viewed as a warning or as a landmark or reminder of sorts.

I do think there needs to be size as well as material restrictions after that one year, but the metal band isn't an appropriate solution in my opinion.

***

As an aside:

Along the second pond (Glenmore pond) heading north on Glenmore Rd. N., on May 31, 1998, Ruby Anne Kirkpatrick was brutally murdered. For a long time after, there was a cross and a few articles placed there by a loved one or ones. Every time I drove by that marker it made me think of Ruby and I'd often stop long enough to consider how precious life is and count my own blessing so to speak. After the memorial disappeared, I was saddened to know that she would soon be forgotten by many of the locals who would travel that road. Many of them likely didn't even know who the memorial was for, but those that did were reminded by that memorial of the very things I was.

That incident touched me very deeply for reasons still unknown to me, and I do still think of her often when I drive by that pullout where she died. I often wonder though, how many others just pass by that spot now without a thought about what happened there not so long ago. I wish at times that the memorial was still there, with perhaps a plaque and some written words to explain, express and inform. Those who don't know the story could then be reminded, so they too could take that moment of time to count their own blessings.

***

I guess in the end I am not opposed to memorials, but I do think there have to be restrictions to keep them from becoming more of a disrespectful indicator than their original intention was meant to be.

I also like (seems the wrong word to use here) to have them along the road when I travel. Once again it keeps me considerate of the value of life. It also keeps me cautious of what can happen even on the straight stretches of the prairies...anytime...anywhere...tragedy can strike. They are a sad reminder, but in a sense I see them as almost a necessity to keep as they not only allow the grief stricken an opportunity to mourn with a sense of connection to the place of last breaths, but they also serve as reminders to the rest of us to pay attention, slow down, count your blessings, and value the gift of life we've been granted.

Those metal bands will do nothing of the sort.

My mother was Ruby Anne Kirkpatrick, just because something might not look as expensive as a porch or as beautiful as a rose doesn't mean it has any less meaning to my family or others. Let people grieve for their losses, healing doesn't just happen over night.

[monroe]

The loss of a loved oned to most people is about as personal a situation as it gets. When you install something in memory of that loved one, there will always be those who dont understand.

It is good though, that we live in a day and age where most of us can live with and accomodate these types of things. It not only helps in the grieving process but it also creates awareness as to what happened.


There is a white bike laced with flowers down on banks & baron. I didnt know the person but it made me aware that someone lost their life at a dangerous corner.