To the Editor:

With winter weather finally upon us I believe it would be prudent to remind your readers that driving on the snow and ice covered roads, while already dangerous, is made more difficult by pedestrians that walk in the vehicle lanes, most notably in the villages of Canton and Potsdam.

Our town and highway departments, as well as the staff at the local colleges, do an excellent job of clearing the roadways during the winter. They, along with home and business owners, also do a pretty good job of clearing sidewalks, though perhaps at a slower pace than the streets themselves.

Sometimes, particularly during morning commutes after an overnight weather event, the roads can be much more clear of snow and ice than the pedestrian walkways.

That said I still ask pedestrians to please not walk in the streets if it can at all be avoided. Even motorists who have driven in this climate their whole lives can have issues navigating winter roads.

College students who may have never dealt with North Country winters have even more trouble driving in these conditions. Forcing them to move out of their lane to avoid a someone walking in the street increases the potential of spinning out or colliding with oncoming traffic.

If a pedestrian slips and falls in the roadway and a motorist cannot safely brake in time, or if a driver's visibility is diminished by falling snow, the results could be tragic.

Walking on snow-covered sidewalks may be inconvenient, but having wet shoes beats causing or being seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident.

Corey Griffin

Potsdam