Dear Editor:

The OPP in the Chatham/Kent area are now targeting trucks with a build-up of snow or ice on their roofs.

We have all witnessed this while travelling the highways and I must admit it is a problem that needs addressing. But the approach is a little misguided – to expect a driver to remove snow and ice from a 13.6-ft. van is a bit much. I don’t know if any of these officers have been on the roof of a van trailer in the winter but it is comparable to an ice rink! Recently I was at a New Brunswick scale and when a van came in with snow on the roof, the scale operator simply directed the driver to pull over to a catwalk that was the same height as the van.

He removed the snow safely and was on his way. All scales in N. B. have these catwalks – a proactive solution to a problem. Why can’t Ontario be proactive and provide this much needed service instead of just writing insecure load tickets?

James Alderton Via e-mail