One way or another

Herb McSpadden on one the County’s most controversial roads.

Council takes reverses course on Lakeside Drive

Spend enough time around Shire Hall and it will soon appear there are only a very small number of issues in Prince Edward County. Even when these seem to be resolved and decided—they aren’t. They simply go into the Council hopper to pop up again on some future day.

So it is with a very short stretch of Lakeside Drive on the north shore of Consecon Lake. Originally what was once a pathway, in time became, a quarter session road. Then as horses and wagons began to give way to automobiles, the road had to be upgraded and improved. To do this, much of the roadway was moved away from the lake. As Consecon Lake dipped to the south on its eastern end, the road builders of the day opted to square off the main portion and it veered away from the lake. But they also kept the much narrower lane running along the lakeside into the hamlet of Melville.

Five years ago residents along this stretch or road lobbied council to reduce the speed and to limit a portion of the road to one-way traffic eastbound. West-bound motorists would be directed north to the straightened portion—now called Zufelt Road—by the Link Road and would continue westward toward Consecon. The affected portion was just two kilometres.

Council approved the change. Municipal works folks made improvements to the Link Road to accommodate the additional traffic and installed one-way signs. It seemed the matter was settled. It wasn’t.

Some neighbours had never been happy with the change. Some simply ignored the signs— went about using the road as they always had.

The issue might have simmered on Lakeside Drive undetected by council—that is until one resident sent a letter to the County’s traffic committee and persuaded it to reduce the speed along Lakeside Drive from 60- to 40-kilometres per hour. That got the neighbour’s attention.

The Consecon Area Ratepayers Association (CARA) gathered 138 signatures on a petition— the vast majority said they didn’t want the speed reduced, nor did they want that section of Lakeside Drive to remain one-way.

Bill McMahon spoke for CARA.

“How did one letter set in motion such faulty decision making?” asked McMahon.

Dairy farmer Curtis Walt said 40 kph was too slow for the road—that this speed is prescribed for hospital and school zones—not country roads.

“I have tractors that travel faster than 40 kph,” said Walt. “We need some common sense.”

Ameliasburgh Councillor Dianne O’Brien said the road must “absolutely go back to one-way.

You are denying the public from access to this beautiful scenery,” said O’Brien.

Fellow Councillor Janice Maynard said the road had worked well for 200 years with no evidence of problem, that it should revert back to the way it was.

Sophiasburgh Councillor Terry Shortt suggested that few people expect to encounter a one-way sign on a rural County road—and as such the signs were likely ignored by most motorists.

But many of those who spoke to the committee of council last week were frustrated the issue they believed had been settled five years ago was back on the table.

We fought for one-way on Lakeside five years ago—and here we are again,” said Herb McSpadden. “We did it to protect our families.”

“Your public works department said one-way eastbound was the safest option. These are the experts. Listen to them.”

Ron Smith told the committee Lakeside is not a road like others. He said the road, by virtue of its proximity to the lake and beautiful scenery, attracts baby strollers, dog walkers and children on bicycles.

“Most of the folks who signed the petition work in Belleville, I expect,” said Smith.

David Calnan said he was disappointed he and his neighbours had to defend the one-way road again.

“Our opinions haven’t changed,” said Calnan. “When two cars meet on that section of Lakeside one has to swerve onto our lawn because on the side is a six-foot drop to the lake. The one-way has fostered safety. It is irresponsible and foolhardy to make the expense to revert it back to two-way.”

But that was exactly what the committee chose to do. Unless it is overturned at council—the one-way signs will soon come down. But public works would be best advised to store them in a safe place. No one should be surprised when this section of Lakeside Drive becomes an issue at Shire Hall again.

But not for Herb McSpadden.

I’m not coming back—it’s on you now,” said McSpadden. “Do what you want. The police don’t enforce the rules up here anyway.”