Women’s Institute advocates for road-side warnings about farm equipment

Women’s Institute advocates for road-side warnings about farm equipment

At the MRC Pontiac council of mayors meeting on November 22, several members of the Pontiac County Women’s Institute were present to advocate for some new signage on the region’s highways warning of slow-moving farm equipment. The Women’s Institute is an international community organization that was founded in 1897, and has advocated for numerous reforms, from the pasteurization of milk to road safety.

Representative Elaine Lang addressed the mayors and explained that they would like to see the addition of large billboards warning drivers to slow down for farm equipment on the Pontiac’s main arteries: Hwy. 148, Rte. 301 and Rte. 303. Lang spoke about the various tragedies and near-misses that she and her peers recalled taking place in the region.

Lang explained that their goal was to install 6 large reflective billboards urging drivers to share the road with slow-moving farm equipment at the entrances to the Pontiac territory, as well as the stretch of Hwy. 148 between Bryson and Shawville that has a high concentration of farms.

She requested that MRC staff advise them on the regulations around highway signage, language laws and other potential hurdles. She said that they had already secured some financial assistance, but would also be seeking private land-owners to donate space for the signs once they had more information on what was permissible.