Part 1: Traffic Advisory Committee Reviews Speeding, Dangerous Roads, and Community Safety Concerns – 09/25/2024

The Traffic Advisory Committee met virtually on September 25, 2024, with the session livestreamed publicly. The meeting experienced several early technical difficulties, including temporary moments where quorum was briefly lost, but quorum was eventually re-established and the meeting proceeded normally. Once underway, the committee approved the agenda and previous meeting minutes without changes, and no pecuniary interests were declared.

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View the entire PEC Council meeting, or continue to speaker comments and councillor votes.

The meeting quickly shifted into a lengthy series of discussions involving speeding complaints, dangerous intersections, traffic calming requests, pedestrian safety concerns, and road signage reviews from residents across Prince Edward County.

Throughout the evening, a recurring theme emerged: many residents feel traffic volumes and driving behaviour have worsened as the County grows, while the committee and staff continue trying to balance safety concerns with provincial traffic standards, enforcement realities, and road design limitations.

Residents Raise Safety Concerns About Dangerous Roads and Intersections

A large portion of the meeting focused on public comments from residents describing ongoing safety problems on local roads.

One resident spoke about the sharp turn at County Road 32 and Shannon Road, explaining that vehicles frequently fail to navigate the curve and end up driving onto private property. According to the resident, these incidents have occurred repeatedly for years, sometimes multiple times in a single month.

The resident described serious concerns about the safety of young children living nearby and strongly supported staff recommendations involving improved warning signage and a flashing beacon at the intersection.

Another resident raised concerns about Danforth Road, describing poor sightlines, heavy speeding, and long-standing safety issues near the Millennium Trail crossing. The road was characterized as winding, rural, and heavily used by pedestrians and cyclists despite having a posted speed limit of 70 kilometres per hour.

Suggestions included lowering the speed limit, improving signage visibility, and adding stronger warnings near the trail crossing to better protect pedestrians and trail users.

Hillier and Wellington Residents Describe Growing Traffic Pressure

Residents from other parts of the County also described increasing speeding problems linked to growth and rising traffic volumes.

Concerns were raised about vehicles speeding aggressively through Hillier village, where residents reported drivers travelling well above posted limits despite growing pedestrian activity, parks, and more families moving into the area.

Several speakers described the issue as becoming increasingly urgent as village traffic patterns continue changing alongside residential growth and tourism activity.

Another resident focused on Wellington Main Street, describing the difficulty pedestrians face trying to safely cross near Belleville Street and the Millennium Trail connection.

It was noted that the nearest formal crosswalk is located a considerable distance away, creating unsafe crossing conditions for families, cyclists, and visitors trying to move between trail systems and nearby businesses.

Although the committee received all public comments formally, staff explained that some requested pedestrian infrastructure changes may not currently meet provincial warrant thresholds required for new pedestrian crossovers or signalized crossings.

Committee Reviews Multiple Speed Reduction Requests

The committee then moved into formal review of numerous traffic calming, signage, and speed reduction requests submitted from different areas of Prince Edward County.

For North Avenue, a short dead-end street, members acknowledged resident concerns but noted that traffic volumes are very low and that additional signage or speed reductions would likely have limited practical effect. The request was received for information only, with no immediate action recommended.

On County Road 15, concerns involving downhill speeding and partially obscured signage prompted committee members to request that staff investigate whether signs were missing, poorly positioned, or insufficiently visible. Staff were asked to return with a verbal update rather than proceeding immediately to formal changes.

The committee also discussed confusion surrounding previous speed limit changes on County Road 2 near Allisonville. Members requested additional historical review and updated traffic data before considering whether further action may be necessary.

For Fish Lake Road, residents had raised concerns about a sharp curve and inconsistent speed limits compared to other nearby rural roads. Rather than recommending immediate changes, the committee requested a preliminary verbal report and additional information from staff.

The discussions reflected the committee’s growing effort to rely more heavily on technical data, traffic counts, and provincial standards when reviewing requests rather than making isolated changes case by case.

Staff Reports Focus on Data-Driven Safety Measures

Several detailed staff reports were also presented during the meeting.

For County Road 12 in West Lake, traffic studies concluded that full traffic calming measures were not warranted under provincial guidelines. However, staff determined that existing speed signage spacing did not meet current standards, and the committee approved additional signage improvements to strengthen driver awareness.

For Loyalist Parkway near Carrying Place, staff reported significantly increased traffic volumes alongside a collision history involving unsafe passing behaviour. In response, the committee supported removing passing zones in specific sections to improve overall road safety.

Reports involving Old Milford Road and Kingsley Road concluded that current traffic volumes and collision histories did not justify additional traffic calming or speed changes. Those reports were formally received for information without further action.

The committee also formally approved staff recommendations for County Road 32 near Shannon Road, including relocating warning signs, replacing incorrect signage, and adding a flashing warning beacon to better alert drivers approaching the dangerous curve.

For nearby residents, the approved changes represent one of the more concrete safety actions resulting directly from repeated public complaints.

Parking Changes Approved for Downtown Picton

The committee also reviewed parking-related matters affecting downtown Picton. Members approved the creation of three new 15-minute parking spaces on Picton Main Street near a bank and pharmacy. The goal is to improve accessibility and convenience for short visits and quick errands.

Although some discussion occurred around potential parking revenue impacts, committee members largely focused on accessibility concerns and the practical benefit of having short-term parking available near essential services.

For residents, seniors, and visitors, the change is intended to improve convenience and make downtown access easier for quick stops.

Traffic Calming Policy Discussion Signals Future Changes

Toward the end of the meeting, the committee held a broader policy discussion about how future traffic calming requests should be handled across Prince Edward County.

Members discussed creating a more standardized process involving petitions, thresholds, traffic data analysis, and clearer decision-making criteria. The goal would be to reduce repeated requests, improve consistency, and make the process easier for residents to understand.

Staff emphasized the importance of balancing local concerns with engineering standards, enforcement limitations, and road maintenance requirements. No final policy changes were approved during the meeting, but the discussion signaled that a more formalized county-wide traffic calming framework may eventually emerge.

Overall Takeaway From the Meeting

Overall, the meeting highlighted growing concern across Prince Edward County about speeding, dangerous rural roads, pedestrian safety, and increasing traffic pressure tied to growth and tourism.

While many requests did not result in immediate speed reductions or infrastructure changes, the committee repeatedly emphasized the importance of data-driven decision-making, technical review, and gradual safety improvements.

For residents, the meeting reinforced that traffic and road safety issues are becoming increasingly prominent across both rural and urban parts of the County, with ongoing discussions likely shaping future transportation policies, signage standards, and traffic calming approaches moving forward.

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Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 2:10:20. Due to the length of the meeting, our team was not able to independently review the full recording in its entirety. As a result, we relied on software-generated transcription, automated summarization, and automated recognition of speakers and participants, which may not be entirely accurate. All transcriptions, summaries, and related content are prepared by our team in good faith and on a reasonable best-efforts basis. The content is provided for general informational purposes only and is intended to support public understanding of the topics discussed. While reasonable efforts have been made to present the information accurately, automated processes may result in errors, omissions, or unintended misinterpretations. This article does not constitute an official, certified, or verbatim record of the meeting, and it should not be relied upon as such. Readers are encouraged to consult original source materials, official minutes, or recordings where available for confirmation or clarification. Questions, requests for clarification, or suggested corrections may be submitted to hello@pecconnect.ca for review and consideration.