MLA Hal Perry's wish-list for Island roads and drivers

An Island MLA has a few requests for the province's Department of Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy and some gentle reminders on road etiquette for Island drivers.

Tignish-Palmer Road MLA Hal Perry commutes to and from Charlottetown several times aweek, and says there are some serious problem spots on Island roads, particularly up west.

1. Patch potholes

Perry says a section of Route 2, travelling west near Northam Road, has a lot of potholes, and drivers in both directions favour the inside lane to avoid them. He's worried this could result in a head-on collision.

"The right-hand lane, which most people travel on or should travel on, is in disrepair, so people have a tendency to drive on the inside lane which is much smoother, but there's a potential for an accident to happen," said Perry, who brought his concern up in question period last week.

Some mornings they may get on the highway, there may be slow moving vehicles that may delay them a bit, so they may take that risk of passing unsafely.- MLA Hal Perry

Paula Biggar, minister of transportation, infrastructure and energy who represents the district of Tyne Valley-Linkletter, which encompasses that particular section of road said the condition of the pavement there is a high priority for her department.

She said repairs to the road are scheduled for early June, and the department plans to repave that section of road in 2019.

2. Add a passing lane

There's another item on Hal Perry's wish-list for Island roads: he'd like to see another passing lane added in the western end of Route 2, to help keep commuters heading to Summerside safe.

"Some mornings they may get on the highway, there may be slow moving vehicles that may delay them a bit, so they may take that risk of passing unsafely," said Perry.

"So my request is to have another passing lanein the western area to allow people that opportunity to pass slower moving vehicles safely."

The department of transportation confirms that sections west of the Coleman Corner on Route 2 are currently under review to assess their suitability for a potential passing lane.

According to a statement from the province, "traffic counts per day, the amount of driveway location along that section and if they are for farming access or residential access, the geometry of the roadway, and other passing opportunities in the area," are factors in the decision to create a passing lane.

3. Practice defensive driving

Hal Perry doesn't stop at government when it comes to making Island roads safer he'd like to see Islanders watch their speed, especially in passing lanes, and take a moment to refresh their memories on the correct way to enter and exit a roundabout.

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