Of circles and hills

On Sunday, I volunteered to be a cheerleader for the Hike for Hospice hikers. As luck would have it, I was given pom-poms, a sign and a walkie-talkie and sent off to my post. You guessed it, the infamous Town Hill. Woo hoo! Who doesn’t like to spend some quality time grimacing, wincing and whispering expletives while they shake their pompoms and chant “Rah rah sis boom bah!” I ask you?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, The traffic circle has nothing on Town Hill. Our traffic circle is just child’s play in the big scheme of all things County. Heck, we’ve seen folks motor in one entranceway and out the other, relatively unscathed. Oh, I’m sure there could be a few drivers who have their doubts and try to avoid the traffic circle like the plague, but I haven’t heard from any of them. Way back when the plans were tabled for the roundabout, a colleague—also in the newspaper business—suggested that once the traffic circle was completed, he and I should grab our notepads and cameras and spend a morning watching the chaos, albeit from a safe distance. He and I were convinced we’d have a good, if not funny, story for the readers. We waited patiently for the construction to be completed. While waiting, we often spoke of the traffic circle story we were going to write. And then? Well, much to our surprise, most drivers—locals or otherwise—didn’t seem to have any problem figuring the ins and outs of the dreaded traffic circle. The traffic circle didn’t turn out to be the nightmare we’d hoped for. Admittedly, some drivers may spend more time trying to get out of it than they should. But on the whole, the traffic circle isn’t nearly as interesting, amusing and as hair-raising as Town Hill. Nope. Not even close. As a matter of fact, it’s exactly what was needed at that intersection. No more near-death experiences trying to figure out whose turn it is to proceed.

Town Hill still owns a spot in our hearts as the biggest challenge to every driver in the County. The hill itself isn’t something that popped up recently. It’s been around for a long time—eons is my guess. To my way of thinking, Town Hill should be a designated heritage site or an attraction and, at the very least, used in all of the destination marketing glossies. Heck, TH should have its own spot on the Red Map. Logically, vehicles travelling up Town Hill should have the right of way and legally they do. That just makes physical and practical sense. Whether it’s a horse and buggy or tractortrailer or the family camper or a County Caddy or a tour bus, heading up TH is a tricky don’t-stop-me-now kind of activity. And it stands to reason when you’re heading down TH from the east or heading around the corner, easterly or westerly, you need to make sure the uphill travellers are out of the way. Well and truly out of the way. Not just almost out of the way or not quite in the way. Town Hill. We don’t give it the respect and recognition it deserves. Songs and columns don’t do it justice. Designate, I say. Festoon it with bells and whistles and flashing lights.

On the upside of Sunday, well over $27,000 was raised for our local hospice! Rah rah sis boom crash!

theresa@wellingtontimes.ca