Roadside Memorials

[strwbrrydvl]

Kelowna City Council is being asked to do something about roadside memorials which, according to a Kelowna woman, can be distracting to drivers.
..
St. Germain point to a new program in Calgary where roadside memorials are allowed to stay for one year after which time they are replaced by a metal band called a 'Halo' (Honouring A Loved One).

"I am sending this to you in hopes Kelowna will start a similar program. I am hoping the Longhill memorial can at least be cleaned up and dignified somewhat."
http://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/57 ... -discussed

What they do in Calgary:

The halo is part of the city's roadside memorial policy that states traditional memorials -- flowers, teddy bears -- may stay at the site of the crash for one year, then must come down. But now if a family wants to pay $200, it can have the engraved band installed. Other options include a tree at a park or a park bench.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/purch ... story.html

What do you think?

[Triple 6]

I think it is a fabulous idea. Roadside memorials are cheesy & tacky. And if they are not maintained or looked after they are gross.
Calgary has the right idea.

[Doreen Gardner]

I think that if there is a problem with a mess around a memorial then who ever sees it or is discussed by it could maybe stop and clean it up because you know the person that it is there for sure can not do it. In my opinion that is respecting the dead.

Doreen
.[quote][/quote]

[Loed]

I think it is a fabulous idea. Roadside memorials are cheesy & tacky. And if they are not maintained or looked after they are gross.
Calgary has the right idea.

Please, tell that to the people who have lost someone.

Calgary has the right idea, but in no way are these memorials "cheesy or tacky". They mean something to the people that have put them up. I agree that they shouldn't be left in gross states of disrepair, but please in the future keep little comments like that about someone's life to yourself.

[lrupp]

Would they be "cheesy and tacky" if someone YOU lost was there? It appauls and disgusts me that you people are thinking about taking these down when clearly someone who was loved was lost there and it might be the a place for grieving for family and friends.

Crosses are NO more distracting then road signs/billboards/other cars/people/houses...so give your head a shake and think about other people for a change.

[Triple 6]

Please, tell that to the people who have lost someone.

Calgary has the right idea, but in no way are these memorials "cheesy or tacky". They mean something to the people that have put them up. I agree that they shouldn't be left in gross states of disrepair, but please in the future keep little comments like that about someone's life to yourself.

I would have no issues telling that to someone, in fact it's the reason we removed my cousins roadside memorial. It was Cheesy & Tacky.

[Ash3r]

Tyson was a good friend of mine back in high school, a few years before he passed away on this spot. I enjoy seeing it as it reminds me of the good times we had and how he died. I don’t think anyone would feel that it is tacky or cheesy if it was someone they cared about. And if it was well that’s your own business because it’s your family. I know a lot of my friends drive by this cross to remember their friend Tyson. Maybe I’ll speak to his brother about setting up a new cross. But please don’t say that it should be taken down because I don’t feel it is the right thing to do.

[Triple 6]

Tyson was a good friend of mine back in high school, a few years before he passed away on this spot. I enjoy seeing it as it reminds me of the good times we had and how he died. I don’t think anyone would feel that it is tacky or cheesy if it was someone they cared about. And if it was well that’s your own business because it’s your family. I know a lot of my friends drive by this cross to remember their friend Tyson. Maybe I’ll speak to his brother about setting up a new cross. But please don’t say that it should be taken down because I don’t feel it is the right thing to do.

Does anyone maintain Ash3r? I think that is part of the problem. Maybe next time you drive by it, stop, take a look around and clean the area up.

[Loed]

Please, tell that to the people who have lost someone.

Calgary has the right idea, but in no way are these memorials "cheesy or tacky". They mean something to the people that have put them up. I agree that they shouldn't be left in gross states of disrepair, but please in the future keep little comments like that about someone's life to yourself.

I would have no issues telling that to someone, in fact it's the reason we removed my cousins roadside memorial. It was Cheesy & Tacky.

Wow, you are a selfish, heartless person.

Think for a second that for someone OTHER people, OTHER THAN YOURSELF, these might help them just a bit.
I truly am glad you were not around when my friend passed away at the hands of a drunk driver, and her family put up a cross with flowers on the roadside.

I guess the difference is her family took the cross down and cleaned up that spot themselves not 3 months later. I don't mind having a regulation in place that gets the area cleaned up if the family neglects it after a set amount of time, but saying that having a memorial is cheesy and tacky is inconsiderate and ignorant of the situation.

[CoffeeCanuck]

I have no issue with roadside memorials. I don't find them distracting at all, and in fact when I pass one, I always look at the cross and sadly think that someone lost their life at this spot. Everyone has their own way of grieving and I can understand why a roadside memorial is important to many. I've seen a number of them where there is a lot of 'stuff' all around the cross. Many times there are a lot of stuffies and my only real concern with that, is they can blow onto the roadway and be the cause of yet another accident. When people put potted flowers around, they really should remove them when they die off.

The halo thing in Calgary is nice (from what I saw in the picture). It seems rather small and really doesn't stand out at all, so I can see why some people would want something more 'showy', like a roadside memorial.

~D

[Triple 6]

Wow, you are a selfish, heartless person.

Think for a second that for someone OTHER people, OTHER THAN YOURSELF, these might help them just a bit.
I truly am glad you were not around when my friend passed away at the hands of a drunk driver, and her family put up a cross with flowers on the roadside.

I guess the difference is her family took the cross down and cleaned up that spot themselves not 3 months later. I don't mind having a regulation in place that gets the area cleaned up if the family neglects it after a set amount of time, but saying that having a memorial is cheesy and tacky is inconsiderate and ignorant of the situation.

I'm not sure how I am only thinking of myself. Debate the issue instead of implying and assuming.

[Gixxer]

Being a truck driver i see these road side memorials all over the province. They become very tacky and gotti looking after awhile. Really why do people need a roadside memorial for a place to morun? Perhaps a grave yard would be a better place for moruning.

[strwbrrydvl]

I think that the spot of somebody's loss should be marked for the family to grieve and to raise awareness to drivers and pedestrians that caution should be taken especially at high collision intersections and dangerous stretches of highway. I agree that over time the memorials can look "tacky" when not maintained. The idea in Calgary is a nice one but possibly too small of a gesture for those who want recognition for the spot in which their loved one died.

[Triple 6]

Being a truck driver i see these road side memorials all over the province. They become very tacky and gotti looking after awhile. Really why do people need a roadside memorial for a place to morun? Perhaps a grave yard would be a better place for moruning.

I feel that way too. I would prefer to mourn in private than stop and look at a place where someone close to me lost their life.

[Loed]

Wow, you are a selfish, heartless person.

Think for a second that for someone OTHER people, OTHER THAN YOURSELF, these might help them just a bit.
I truly am glad you were not around when my friend passed away at the hands of a drunk driver, and her family put up a cross with flowers on the roadside.

I guess the difference is her family took the cross down and cleaned up that spot themselves not 3 months later. I don't mind having a regulation in place that gets the area cleaned up if the family neglects it after a set amount of time, but saying that having a memorial is cheesy and tacky is inconsiderate and ignorant of the situation.

I'm not sure how I am only thinking of myself. Whatever. Maybe you should debate the issue instead of implying and assuming.

removed - Jennylives
Well then I don't understand your reasoning.

You are calling something that helps grieving families/friends of a passed away loved one "cheesy and tacky". That is self-centered ignorance, nothing more. YOU don't like looking at it, so obviously it must be gross and should be done away with.

I've already stated a few times that they should be maintained, and that after a set period of time either removed by the family and/or city, like they are in Calgary. What I was saying is you should really be more considerate of other peoples feelings on a matter such as the passing of a loved one in accidents like this.

If you can't see the issue there, then please refrain from posting further in this thread. I was doing no implying or assuming, only feeding off of the tone of your post.

For some of us this is actually a concern, and I agree the sites need to be cleaned/maintained, but in NO WAY are road side memorials cheesy or tacky. If you were trying to mean something else, maybe try rewording yourself.