Looking for a safe way to get home
Lack of transportation options may contribute to impaired drivers in P.E.I.
Tignish-palmer Road MLA Hal Perry says the first year he offered his services as a sober driver for his constituents on New Year’s Eve in 2011, he was overwhelmed with the number of party-goers who took him up on his offer.
Since then, he has seen the need for this kind of service year-round.
“I now get calls throughout the year, anytime of the day or night, to pick up people and to drive them safely to their destination,” Perry told Saltwire in an early February interview.
He said he is honoured so many people trust him to get them home safely.
“If I could even help one person potentially that may cause an accident off the road, that makes me feel like this was all worthwhile,” Perry said.
OPTIONS LIMITED
Other options in the Tignish area, like the rest of rural P.E.I., are limited.
Busses and taxi services run regularly in Charlottetown, but these methods of transportation become less reliable on nights and weekends and the further residents are from the capital region.
The privately-owned ride share company, Kari, says on its website it is working on expanding to rural parts of P.E.I., but it can’t promise a ride out of town will be available at any given time.
The only alternative is taxi services and companies or designated drivers, if individuals are travelling into or out of Charlottetown or Summerside.
“It doesn’t address the issue of those who are out later in the day, and there really is no option available in most rural areas of Prince Edward Island for public transit,” Perry said.
The release of the P.E.I. legislative budget on Feb. 29 included the announcement of $1 million for increased transit routes and to keep fares low for Islanders.
The budget also listed $773,000 to increase capacity for law enforcement detection and enforcement, as well as countermeasures for impaired driving harms.
A FREE RIDE
The owner of another private transportation service, Low Class Limousine, followed Perry’s lead and decided to offer free rides on New Year’s Eve.
“I don’t drink, don’t party, and I had the limousine sitting there, so I thought it might be a good idea, save some people from driving on their own,” Kolton Morrell told Saltwire in a recent interview.
Morrell said he ended up driving 56 people from and around Summerside and was on the road from 8 p.m. Dec. 31 to 4 a.m. Jan. 1.
Morrell drove people as far as Albany, all to keep people from making bad decisions on the first day of the year. He noted the vehicle’s paint job and decorations might further entice would-be impaired drivers from getting behind their own wheels.
“My thought was the limousine being lifted and camo and stands out, that it might deter someone. Maybe drinking and driving was the norm, but, hey, this thing’s cool, let’s take that instead,” Morrell said.
Morrell said he intends to make the act a habit and repeat the offer for free rides in and around Summerside for New Year’s Eve in 2024.
“I had a blast, I laughed all night. It was definitely great,” Morrell said.
TRANSIT FOR SOME
The other nights of the year, though, the onus is on the individuals who plan to drink to find a way home.
Stacey Miller, senior communications officer at the Department of Transportation told Saltwire on March 1 that Islanders are encouraged to plan when intending to drink outside their homes.
Miller stated that the P.E.I. government is partnering with communities, RCMP and MADD P.E.I. to improve awareness and education around impaired driving and its negative and potentially deadly consequences.
“Islanders will see increased advertising and signage in highly visible areas such as public waiting rooms, bus stops, highways and arenas,” Miller said.
Planning and prioritizing safety on the road before departure continues to be the best course of action for people in rural areas. Designating a member of the group to maintain sobriety or arranging for an overnight stay is recommended.
For his part, Perry says he will continue to highlight the need for alternative transportation in rural areas across the province.
“I’m still doing my best to get the message out there. I believe the message is getting out there because of the amount of people who call me to provide the service and in conversations with people that are making choices,” Perry said.