STRATFORD, P.E.I. - Speeding and the amount of traffic coming over the Hillsborough Bridge are two of the big issues with voters in Stratford.
At least that’s what the three candidates running for mayor in the Nov. 5 municipal election are saying.
“I’d say the most pervasive (issue) is concerns about traffic — policing and traffic,’’ said Sandy MacMillan, a former councillor and deputy mayor who has thrown her hat into the ring for the big chair. “Speeding has been an issue as long as I have been involved in municipal politics for 15 years, off and on, and it hasn’t abated.
“I would say that we need to have a very serious conversation about what level of policing we want in the community and that would be something I would be looking at very early on in my term as mayor.’’
Jody Jackson, who currently sits on council and is also running for mayor, said some of the speed limits in town are not typical town speed limits.MacMillan also noted that the lack of sidewalks in the town contributes to people’s concerns about speeding. She said people are afraid of sharing the road with vehicles when they’re out walking their dogs.
“They're much higher so we’ve got to balance out moving traffic along with pedestrian safety,’’ Jackson said. “It’s all fine and dandy if you have the infrastructure, the sidewalks, the walking trails, but we’re growing and we don’t have all those things yet. There are pedestrians on the same hard surface as cars in a lot of these areas and that is an issue.’’
Jackson said residents are telling him they’d like to see more of a police presence.
Steve Ogden, who also currently sits on council, said the town could invest more money in speed bumps.
“I also want to look into photo radar, speed detection devices that will take a picture of the licence plate and work with the province so we can at least send warning letters out to owners of those vehicles to let them know their vehicle was speeding at a certain time,’’ he said.
Ogden agrees with Jackson that residents would like a great police presence, suggesting more targeted blitzes.
“The randomness of it really made people slow down (in the past). We can work with the RCMP to really target chronic speeding areas.’’
“Traffic on the bridge is very alarming to a lot of people and they find that just too congested,’’ MacMillan said, adding that residents would like to see more retail in the town so residents wouldn’t have to travel over the bridge to shop.Traffic on the Hillsborough Bridge was also identified as an issue.
Jackson said enhancing the transit service would help and keep more drivers off the bridge. And new school infrastructure would also reduce the number of parents and students driving across the bridge.
“I think we have to be creative (and) look at the timing of the (traffic) lights (at the bridge), possibly switching over one lane incoming, same thing they do over in Halifax and Dartmouth.’’
Ogden said school infrastructure is also high on his list of priorities, pointing to overcrowding concerns, especially Grade 6 at Glen Stewart Primary.
All three candidates listed affordable housing an issue, one that is certainly not exclusive to Stratford.
Who’s running
Mayor
Jody Jackson, Steve Ogden, Sandy MacMillan
Council
Ward 1
Gail MacDonald, Denise MacLeod Ling, Derek Smith
Ward 2
Ryan Bradley, Jill Burridge, Rob Harding, Dan Larter, Darren MacDougall, Patrick Ross
Ward 3
Gary Clow, Steve Gallant
* NOTE: More candidates could be added. The deadline to enter the election is Friday at 2 p.m.
