The recent collision in our ward, where local farmer Craig Waddell was struck from behind by a transport truck while moving his tractor and farm equipment, was deeply alarming. I am incredibly relieved that Craig survived, and my thoughts remain with him, his family and the entire farm team as they deal with the physical, emotional and operational impact of what happened. This cannot be treated as just another traffic incident. For our farmers, travelling between barns, fields and properties is part of the job. Our rural roads are part of their workplace, and they deserve to be able to do that work safely.
I have spoken directly with Craig, and I am working with Ottawa Police, City staff and members of our rural community to turn our concern into action. I am currently preparing a motion to identify and implement practical measures to improve safety on agricultural corridors. I know that we can’t change the roads for every poor driver, so I want to hear from you about what should be on the table to ensure we are doing all we can to share the roads safely.
So far I’ve heard that we need:
- More targeted and highly visible enforcement on rural routes, particularly during planting and harvest seasons.
- Better signage and a public education campaign on safely sharing the road with farm machinery and horses.
- To examine whether designated agricultural safety corridors and stronger penalties for dangerous driving around farm equipment are possible.
- To explore a “tractor-cam” enforcement pilot to help address distracted and aggressive driving.
- To engage commercial carriers and trucking companies whose drivers regularly travel our rural roads, while also identifying locations where pull-off areas, shoulders or other road improvements could make a difference
Now I want to hear from the people who know these roads best. Farmers, rural residents, commercial drivers, agricultural organizations and road-safety experts: what are we missing? Would better signage help? More enforcement? Changes to driver education, truck routing or road design? Is there another practical solution that should be on the table?
Please email your ideas to my office at Ward20@ottawa.ca. I want them included as this work and targeted engagement moves forward. Farmers First means making the safety of the people who feed our community a priority – not an afterthought. Let’s slow down, pay attention and make sure everyone gets home safely.