Local roads and global positioning don’t always align

Last Saturday, my husband and I went to the recently re-opened Creemore Nature Preserve to walk with our dog. As anybody who has been there knows, Concession 6 which leads toward the trail head is maintained for a distance, but beyond three driveways, and a sign which reads “No maintenance. Use at your own risk”, there is space for parking and beyond that, the road is largely unused.

We parked our car and walked the 200 metres or so to the entrance to the preserve. As we approached the trail head we were summoned by a young man in a hi-visibility vest who was running down the very steep and ravaged road beyond. Could we please help him? He was a package delivery driver whose navigation app had directed him to take Concession 6 to the top of the hill to the address on the package. And there was his very ordinary white delivery van about three-quarters to the top of the hill leaning awkwardly between a high steep bank and a calf deep rut in the middle of the road.

My husband walked with the man to survey his situation and was astounded that the van could have made it so far through the treacherous conditions and, equally, that the driver imagined that he would be successful in climbing to the top. Unable to provide any physical assistance, my husband advised the driver that he would require someone to tow him to the top accessing his location from the southern section of Concession 6 which is maintained. The driver explained that he was a student and had neither cash nor card to pay for a tow. At this point, a couple in a large 4×4 pickup truck had arrived at the trailhead where I was waiting for my husband and the driver to return. The situation was described and discussed and at this point, acknowledging that there was little we could do to assist, we settled our barking dog and continued into the preserve and left the driver with the couple and the 4×4. When we left the preserve 40 minutes later there was no sign of either the van or the pickup truck.

Many thanks to the good Samaritans who must have come to the aid of the driver. But questions remain. Should drivers be trained/warned to use their judgement and not to follow navigation apps blindly? Should the people who hire such drivers not be obligated to provide some sort of support in such situations? Should the township install barriers or other physical objects to ensure that inappropriate vehicles should not try to negotiate unmaintained roads?

While we imagine (and hope) that this situation was resolved with minimum damage, it could have easily been otherwise.

Lisa Houston,

Creemore.