Following two serious motorcycle crashes on Northeys Bay Road this summer, residents who live along the Peterborough County road are calling on drivers to slow down, while local officials are teaming up to monitor and evaluate the road’s safety.
Located in the Township of North Kawartha, Northeys Bay Road (County Road 56) is a 13-kilometre winding road that runs along Stony Lake from Highway 28 in Woodview in the west to County Road 6 in the east.
Given that it links two major county roads, follows a scenic landscape, and provides access to Petroglyphs Provincial Park, the road is popular with tourists, motorcyclists, and trucks — all of which, according to Northeys Bay resident Christine Robson, often go above the posted speed limit.
“People just don’t pay attention. They go way too fast,” says Robson, who has lived on the road near the provincial park for nearly 10 years. “We need to do something.”
Fatal motorcycle crash prompts OPP to contact Peterborough County’s engineering department
On July 25, a 54-year-old Oshawa motorcyclist died after crashing on Northeys Bay Road near Fire Route 19.
The fatality prompted Peterborough County OPP inspector and detachment commander Chris Galleazza to contact Doug Saccoccia, Peterborough County’s general manager of engineering and construction, to discuss conducting an operational review of the roadway.
In recent years, the engineering department in Peterborough County has partnered with OPP road safety initiatives, focusing on engineering, enforcement, education, and evaluation.
“It was a proactive measure,” Galleazza says. “We just wanted to make sure we were gathering all the information to inform the investigation (into the collision on July 25). Community safety is a target for both the county and us, so if we can do anything to prevent further collision, this will be the information that informs those changes.”
Just over a month later, a 23-year-old Ottawa motorcyclist and his passenger, a 22-year-old Peterborough woman, were seriously injured after their motorcycle failed to negotiate a bend in the road, crossed into the oncoming lane, and collided with a pickup truck.
County engineers will assess speed limits, signage, and road conditions and collect vehicle volume count and speed data
The operational review, which is currently underway, is examining the road from a technical engineering perspective. It will evaluate whether the speed limits are appropriate, whether the number of signs is sufficient, if all pavement marking are clear, the curvature of the road, if guardrails are required, the visibility of hills and driveways, and other concerns.
Vehicle volume counts and speeds will be collected through pneumatic traffic counter tubes and mobile radar speed signs.
“That’s the one you’ve probably seen around town,” Saccoccia says. “It says your speed and that’s to educate drivers as well. If they’re speeding, it’ll flash and say slow down. In the background, it actually is collecting data and that data is very valuable because the engineering team evaluates it to see if we have an issue. If so, we can pass that along to Chris and his team and he can look at it and agree to do potentially some targeted enforcements.”
Conducted over two to three months, the operational review will result in the engineering team generating conclusions and recommendations regarding improvements that would be implemented through the county’s operations team.
“When we review the data, if it was a high concern of speed, then we would look at other tools,” Saccoccia explains.
“It could lead to additional enforcement or a safety campaign. We’ve partnered with OPP on certain areas of safety campaigns with a bit of social media and explanations for residents to see and use. There are some tools we have depending on how the review goes, but the next step after the review is consider the recommendations and then implementing those findings.”
Operational review could trigger road safety audit as OPP conducts focused patrols
The operational review could also trigger an even more thorough road safety audit, which considers human factors on the road’s safety in addition to its engineering. This audit would involve other partners, including the paramedics, members of the public, and active transportation groups, to identify issues and hazards and then identify recommendations for mitigation to reduce road collisions.
In 2024, a road safety audit was completed in the Municipality of Trent Lakes for County Road 507 from County Road 36 to Mississauga Dam Road and surrounding the Cavendish Community Centre. The audit teams identified and assigned risk ratings to 63 issues and hazards.
While the safety audit, if required, could take upwards of a year to complete in full, Galleazza assures residents the OPP is conducting focused patrols on Northeys Bay Road in the meantime. He encourages residents to report driving complaints to the OPP through the online reporting tool at opp.ca/index.php?id=132.
“We would encourage our community members to contact us or file an online report because that information will give us time, date, and what is actually occurring,” he says.
“We only have finite resources, but Peterborough County is a large community. We as a police can’t be everywhere, but the community is, so they’re our eyes and ears. When they’re seeing things happen, they can contact us on our non-emergency line and we can gather that information and put a plan together.”
Residents post their own signs as North Kawartha mayor urges drivers to respect speed limits
Taking things into their own hands, residents like Robson on Northeys Bay Road have been putting up signs encouraging drivers to slow down, some of which have been removed by Peterborough County’s engineering team.
Saccoccia says the signs must be removed if they have inappropriate language or pose a danger to drivers. Similarly, memorials will be removed if they are not safely located.
“We just want to make sure it’s in a safe spot and there are some size requirements, but we do allow them,” Saccoccia says.
“It’s best to always reach out (to Peterborough County) and understand the requirements and then, as our staff are very friendly, we’ll work with you on achieving what you want to do. It’s just making sure it’s safe for everybody else.”
For her part, North Kawartha mayor Carolyn Amyotte has expressed interest in supporting Peterborough County and the OPP in their safety monitoring. She is also calling on residents and visitors driving on Northeys Bay Road to do their part by respecting the posted speed limits.
“Drive with care and be aware,” Amyotte says. “Everybody needs to arrive safely at their destinations. Don’t take unnecessary risks and chances.”
“My heart goes out to all those people involved, because it’s not only the impact on the victims of the accidents — it’s impacting the neighbours and the residents that come out to respond. It’s our first responders that go out there to the same places over and over again. It impacts everybody. Every accident is a life-changing event for all people involved and the more we can prevent them, the better we’ll be.”
