Daniel T'seleie
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 24/04) - Early Wednesday morning an unknown motorist crashed into two vehicles parked in a driveway on Borden drive.

"It was a hit and run," said Ken Leonardis, owner of the property and one of the vehicles.

Leonardis filed a report at the police station, but realizes the RCMP are limited as to what they can do in terms of an investigation.

Paint left on his car indicates the vehicle was blue, but that is all he knows.

"What do you do without any leads?" Leonardis said.

The damage is estimated at over $5,000. Leonardis will have to pay $2,000 out of his pocket.

After inspecting the damage and the road conditions, Leonardis believes the accident was the result of irresponsible driving.

"I wouldn't say it was (a result of) road conditions," said Leonardis.

"On this road people tend to drive fast."

Leonardis and his family have lived on Borden for 10 years and he says speeding is a common problem.

He also noted that people rarely slow down for the school zone on Borden until they are well into it.

"We still have lots of kids walking to school," said Sandra Bowden, principal of Range Lake North School.

She says the school has not had issues with speeding and reckless drivers, but some parents are concerned that cars don't stop for children at the crosswalk.

Bowden credits municipal enforcement for helping to keep the area safe.

"We've had pretty good bylaw surveillance," Bowden said.

Bylaw officers put 50,000 kilometres a year on their patrol cars, said Doug Gillard, bylaw spokesperson.

Three cars patrol Yellowknife from 7 a.m. to midnight, Gillard said, and even later in the summer. The bylaw officer issued 1,900 traffic tickets in 2002.

This does not help between 1 and 5 a.m., the period in which Leonardis says someone hit his vehicles.

"Night time is worse," he said. He sometimes wakes up in the night to the sound of squealing tires.

"Maybe it's time in some of these areas for photo radar," Leonardis suggested. He realizes this would cost a lot and maybe cause other problems as well.

"If I'm speeding in your truck, you get the ticket (as the owner of the vehicle)," Leonardis pointed out.

The bylaw officer has considered using photo radar in the past, Gillard said but no plans have been made to implement it.

That would, "require a change in legislature with the territorial government," Gillard said.