Meaford council is hoping to make a section of Concession 8 South safer after a motion brought forward by Councillor Rob Uhrig during council’s November 17 meeting.
The motion notes that the municipal Transportation Master Plan recommends that rural roads may be posted as low as 40 km/hr where conditions warrant, and the section of Concession 8 South which features “blind hills, hidden driveways, and multiple residential entrances” warrants a speed reduction from the current 80 km/hr limit.
Uhrig’s motion was prompted by concerns raised by residents of Concession 8 South. Diane and Martin Sasek, who live on Concession 8 South, have been sharing their concerns about the speed on their road with council after having made a presentation to council on October 6, and following up with email messages along with a letter to the editor, published on October 30.
“As you may know from following recent Council meetings, residents and business owners along Concession 8 South continue to raise serious concerns about road safety on our stretch of roadway. Despite months of correspondence, a presentation to Council on October 6, 2025, and assurances from Mayor Kentner that the issue would be addressed, no action has been taken to reduce the posted 80 km/h speed limit through our hamlet,” the couple shared in the October 30 letter to the editor.
The Saseks have also submitted a number of photos showing radar readings of vehicles travelling on the road as fast as 100 km/hr.
The motion, which was ultimately given unanimous support by council, calls for staff to review the posted speed limit on Concession 8 South, and it directs staff to consult with the OPP regarding implementation and enforcement of a revised speed limit. Council has suggested that they would like to see the speed reduced to 50 km/hr on that stretch of road.
Councillor Eric Ennis asked staff how long it would take to change the speed limit and post new signs on the stretch of road, and CAO Shawn Everitt told council that he estimated the process to take three months including the passing of a bylaw in order to change the speed limit.
The CAO suggested that staff would review not just the stretch of road included in the resolution, but several others throughout the rural areas of the municipality, but council was adamant that the resolution speak to one issue in one location.
“I will say that my direction to staff as well will be, when we bring this report forward, we’re not just going to look at this road,” Everitt told council. “Because my concern is there are going to be a number of other roads that are in the municipality, that if we start looking at the warrants for this road, I would say that we should be looking at what other warrants that are tied to other portions of the rural section that may then have a speed limit reduction.”
Uhrig reminded the CAO that his motion was not requesting a review of multiple sections of rural roads, only the section of Concession 8.
“I appreciate that that’s probably a good, logical thing to look at long-term,” Uhrig told council, noting that “this motion specifically only requests Concession 8 South.”
Mayor Ross Kentner agreed that the motion before council should just apply to the section of road identified in the motion.
“I think we need to act on a timely basis when people raise the concerns that they have here,” Kentner told council. “I feel that people have, I think in good faith, come forward to say that they observe what they consider a dangerous situation in that locality.”
Mayor Kentner said that council should approve the motion and get a bylaw in place with a reduced speed limit while being prepared for other requests that might come forward.
The CAO suggested that the Concession 8 South issue could be treated as a pilot project.
Ultimately council voted unanimously, 7-0, in favour of the resolution.
