Being stuck in traffic can be a frustrating experience that leaves drivers wondering whether there have always been this many cars on the road. On P.E.I., the answer to that question is no. 

The number of cars driving on P.E.I. roads has increased 30 per cent over the last decade, says Ryan Neal, the director of the Highway Safety Division. 

For a province with a population of about 180,000, P.E.I. had more than 143,000 registered drivers at the end of 2025, and about 160,000 registered vehicles, he said. 

“I’m a road user myself, so I absolutely see an increase in the number of drivers and registered vehicles on the road,” Neal said. 

“And then … our seasonal increase in visitors here puts a bit of pressure on the road system as well.”

P.E.I.’s road use data is more than just a snapshot of how people are getting around the Island; it also helps the province plan years into the future to support the growing use of its transportation infrastructure. 

“The data that we’re collecting kind of helps us communicate trends to various stakeholders, which could include municipalities, but also to enforcement and to department policy efforts,” said Neal. 

“But more commonly, our data supports broader provincial road safety, policy and planning measures.” 

Planning ahead

The key to keeping busy Island roads in check is to stay ahead of the population, said Steve Yeo, the director of capital projects for the Department of Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy. 

“We’re kind of lucky in one sense. We see tourist traffic during the summer months, so we know where the congestion is going to be and we can plan for that,” he said, noting that traffic counts at a spot like Route 6 in Cavendish go from 2,000 in the winter up to 10,000 in the summer. 

“You have to design and build roads for 10,000 cars because that’s what you have,” he said. 

When it comes to longer-term population growth trends, the province anticipates and plans for those changes years in advance through P.E.I.’s five-year road program. 

“You look at housing development, you look at the capacity of the roads right now, you know where the delays are,” Yeo said. 

On Route 2, for example, Yeo said the province is already in the planning process for an increase in housing developments over the next decade. 

“There’s going to be upwards of 2,500 to 3,000 new dwellings … over the next 10 years, so we have to plan for that,” he said. 

Adapting to change

With more cars on P.E.I. roads, the potential for collisions also increases, said Neal. 

“When we look at collision risk, we look at things like certainly how many vehicles are present on the road, how those vehicles are driven, but also … the condition in which people interact while on the road,” he said. 

“More drivers generally mean more collisions in total numbers, but strong safety systems and good enforcement can help stabilize those numbers.” 

When it comes to implementing those new systems, change can be daunting for some Island drivers. But two decades after P.E.I.’s first roundabout was installed, Yeo said he’s seen how traffic measures like that one have come to be accepted on the Island roads. 

“We built our first one in 2006, so it’ll be 20 years old this fall,” he said.

While the concept initially got some pushback, Yeo said he gets requests from communities every year asking for a roundabout in their area.