Editor’s Note: A reader was in touch to express concern about what she and some of her friends and family see as an increasing incidence of dangerous passing on March Road. Having done the commute to downtown Ottawa for well over 30 years myself, I agree. I’ve added some comments of my own:
The most direct route between Almonte and Ottawa is March Road via Highway 417, a 12-kilometre stretch without many safe places to pass. But that doesn’t stop some people from trying when they absolutely shouldn’t. As a growing population here means a greater number of commuters, the odds increase that someone will be hurt or killed as a result.
If you’ve made the commute long enough you’ve likely seen this scenario play out:
You’re in the middle of a line of vehicles heading for the city, doing 80 or 90. You notice someone behind you edging out a couple of times and then flooring it, hoping to pass the entire line – only to realize that a vehicle is bearing down on them in the oncoming lane. They force their way back into the line to avoid a head-on. I saw this a few times during the years I commuted daily to downtown.
If traffic is already moving at or above the speed limit, then, really: what’s the rush? Why take such a dangerous chance?
Let’s do the math. If you drive at the speed limit of 80 from Almonte to Highway 417 it will take you about nine minutes. If you drive it at 120, passing all the way, you’ll save barely three minutes. During morning rush hour, chances are good that some of the vehicles you passed will catch up with you once you get to the stop-and-go traffic at Kanata or Bayshore.
Do you really want to risk your life, or worse, the lives of innocent people, just to get to the traffic jam a few minutes earlier? It’s not worth it.
More numbers. A recent press release from the OPP said that in 2024, 81 people died in road accidents in East Region, which includes us. The leading cause of death was excess speed. The release didn’t say how many of those involved unsafe passing, but likely some did.
People have been killed before on that stretch of road, most recently in 2019 when a woman died in a collision at Greystone Drive. In December of 2016 a Renfrew couple was killed in a head-on, while in 2015 a person was killed at the Burnt Lands. This isn’t a hypothetical scenario.
Certainly, there are times when even the most patient drivers may be tempted to pass. You could be stuck behind a slow-moving tractor or a driver doing 60 km an hour for no evident reason. If road conditions are good and the way ahead is unmistakably clear, go ahead. That’s what passing lanes are for.
Likewise – let’s be honest – many of us probably don’t stick to the 80 km limit. Your accelerator foot gets a little heavy and soon you’re doing 90 or so. But if that’s the speed other traffic is doing, you’re keeping a safe distance from other vehicles, and road conditions are good – well, that’s likely OK. What isn’t OK is passing when you’re not 100% sure you can do it safely.
All this said, I realize that some people who pass dangerously aren’t likely to change their ways because of an article like this. Not when I see news stories about people facing their second or third stunt driving charge in the region.
But not everyone who passes on March Road when they shouldn’t is a would-be stunt driver. Maybe they’re fretting about being late for work or they’re having a bad day and their patience is wearing thinner than usual. They decide to take a chance.
If that’s you, please just take a deep breath and think about the potential consequences before you hit the accelerator. Slow down, you’ll get there soon enough.
