PEISome people who live near Kensington are calling on the province to make safety upgrades to parts of Route 2, saying long-standing problems with stretches of the highway have contributed to too many fatal collisions. ‘This stretch has earned a reputation for tragedy,’ says area’s MLAMarilee Devries · CBC News · Posted: Dec 01, 2025 3:44 PM EST | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.’It’s really hard to see all the accidents that we’ve had here, and close calls as well,’ says Summerfield resident Lori Pearce. (Aaron Adetuyi/CBC)Some people who live near Kensington are calling on the province to make safety upgrades to parts of Route 2, saying long-standing problems with stretches of the highway have contributed to too many fatal collisions.“I’m just always hoping there’s not going to be another accident, because it’s horrible to see fatalities in front of your house,” said Lori Pearce, who lives in the area of concern — a stretch of highway that runs through Summerfield and Springfield, southeast of Kensington. The picturesque rolling hills create blind spots, and there are often tractors and trucks pulling onto the highway from a number of farms in the area. On top of that, residents said there is a lot of speeding and aggressive driving, particularly in the passing lanes.WATCH | P.E.I. government urged to make highway with history of fatal accidents safer:P.E.I. government urged to make highway with history of fatal accidents saferIslanders living near Kensington are urging the P.E.I. government to make Route 2 safer. There are stretches of highway near the town that have a history of fatal crashes, and advocates want to see the province step in and fix it soon. CBC’s Cody MacKay reports. In fact, concerns about the area were brought up last month in the P.E.I. Legislature by backbench Progressive Conservative MLA Matthew MacKay, who represents Kensington-Malpeque.“Over the past decade, this stretch has earned a reputation for tragedy with accidents and fatalities that have left lasting scars on our community,” MacKay said during question period on Nov. 20. “These are not just numbers; they represent loved ones lost and families forever changed.” Pearce echoed that, citing an example of when a 27-year-old woman died on Route 2 last year after her car collided with a tractor that was making a turn near the intersection with Grahams Road, Route 8.“Her parents have to live with that, her family. And then the person who she hit… has to live with that too.”For Pearce, having crashes take place near her home leaves a mark with her as well.“I’ve heard the noise from the accidents… and I’ve seen the aftermath. The bits and pieces of cars, people being taken away in ambulances,” she said. “You’re hoping it’s not anybody you know, but you know it’s somebody that belongs to somebody else.”Improvements high on province’s listPearce said she would like to see better signage, speed warnings and flashing lights to alert drivers to blind spots. MacKay called for similar changes in the legislature, along with reduced speed limits. Both said they want government to step in with solutions, and soon.’Anything we can do to improve safety, we’ll certainly do it. But you know, it’s driver awareness, driver attention, that needs to be addressed as well.’ says Steve Yeo, P.E.I.’s chief engineer (Ken Linton/CBC)“It’s very high on the list,” Steve Yeo, chief engineer for P.E.I.’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. “We are looking at it, how can we improve safety there, you know, are there any different paving markings, any different signage.”But, he said, a lot of it comes down to drivers.“The geometry of the highway is good there, so it’s just a matter of making sure that people… drive with caution and, you know, pay attention to signage, as well as drive the speed limit and stay off cellphones.”The province said it’s looking at this and other accident-prone sections of highway on P.E.I. as it develops a new 10-year highway safety strategy. That strategy is expected to be released in late 2026.ABOUT THE AUTHORMarilee Devries is a journalist with CBC P.E.I. She has a journalism degree from Toronto Metropolitan University. She can be reached at marilee.devries@cbc.caWith files from Cody MacKay
Kensington-area residents ask province to improve part of Route 2 with history of fatal crashes
