The Island That Banned Automobiles

illustration of an old car

A 1908 ad for a Model-T Ford.

PEI’s ‘Fools Law’

In 1908, Prince Edward Island did something no other province dared – it banned automobiles outright. The ban was in effect until 1919, a whole decade without cars! Well, to be fair, there were only 7 cars on the whole island but residents clearly thought they were a threat to their safety. They also felt that the automobile frightened horses and livestock and the local roads were not of sufficient quality to support cars.

One Way Around the Ban
There is one story of a fellow who would ship his car by rail into Charlottetown, drive it around the city and then ship it back to his home.

A Community-by-Community Compromise
In June 1913, a plebiscite was held to see if the ban would be upheld. The results were mixed and as a result some communities allowed cars to operate but other communities upheld the ban. This proved rather awkward; automobile owners could drive through one community but then have to hire a team of horses to tow their car through the next district.

By the end of the First World War, PEI’s economy was improving, and the cost of automobiles was dropping, bringing cars with reach of the average family. The ban was formally lifted in 1919 and cars were free to roam the island.

Setting the Story Straight

How ironic is it that Prince Edward Island also has the distinction of being the first province in Canada to import an automobile.

The first car owned in British North America is widely credited to Father Georges-Antoine Belcourt, who imported a Ware Steam Carriage from New Jersey to Rustico, PEI in December 1866.

Prince Edward Island Not Alone

The Charlottetown Guardian, June 27, 1908 reported that PEI was certainly not alone in banning automobiles. Nova Scotia also instituted a ban on cars that was downright embarrassing. Municipal regulations in Nova Scotia stated that you could only run your car on one or two days a week. The Guardian referred to PEI’s law as a ‘fool law’.

Reference:

wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Edward_Island_automobile_ban#

Ruppenthal, K., & Bonikowsky, L. (2021). Automobile. In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/automobile

Island Newspapers. UPEI, Robertson Library. The Charlottetown Guardian, June 27, 1908, p6.