While pedestrian safety continues to be a major concern, a school crossing guard was hit by a vehicle on Tuesday afternoon in Ahuntsic-Cartierville. Although she did not suffer serious injuries, she was still taken to the hospital.
According to the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), the vehicle was traveling on rue Prieur, westbound, around 4 p.m. Tuesday and had entered a right turn on rue Papineau when the collision occurred. The crossing guard had just made a child cross, she wanted to go to the other intersection when she was hit. The SPVM indicates that it was an accidental event and that no element of a criminal nature was found. The motorist remained at the scene and called 911.
The crossing guard was taken to hospital, but according to the SPVM, she did not sustain any life-threatening injuries.
Since the death of 7-year-old Mariia Legenkovska, who was hit by a motorist on December 13 in the Centre-Sud district of Montreal, many voices have been raised for the authorities to make road safety a priority.
Tuesday morning, the administration of Valérie Plante also announced that 42 traffic calming projects would be carried out around schools, CPEs and places frequented by children in 13 boroughs. The planned interventions include curb extensions, speed bumps and the addition of speed displays and traffic lights.
Strategy requested
And on Wednesday, several civil society organizations, including Piétons Québec, Vivre en ville and CAA-Québec, once again called for the adoption by Québec of a government road safety strategy. “The inertia has lasted long enough,” said Sandrine Cabana-Degani, general manager of Piétons Québec. “The Government of Quebec must realize that road safety is a national issue and that it must assume its responsibilities.
She recalled that in 2018, when adopting the Sustainable Mobility Policy, the government promised a road safety strategy based on the Vision Zero approach, but the project is still pending, she said. lamented.
Pedestrians are not the only road users to bear the brunt of road insecurity. Over the past five years, more than 1,732 people have lost their lives on the roads of Quebec.
“We know what to do to prevent these violent deaths. It is not a fatality. There are ways to change things, but it takes strong national leadership and concerted action by all public decision-makers,” commented Christian Savard, executive director of Vivre en ville. “We can no longer base our approach solely on improving behavior. You have to go to the source of the issues. »
The organizations mentioned a review of road network development standards, a change in culture to prioritize the safety of the most vulnerable users.
Pedestrians Quebec, which has been calling for a meeting with Prime Minister François Legault and the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Geneviève Guilbault, for several weeks, has received confirmation of a meeting with representatives of the Cabinet of the Ministry of Transport for Friday . However, the Minister will not participate. Sandrine Cabana-Degani therefore continues to wish to be able to discuss the file with her. “It takes leadership at the level of the whole of government if we want to have actions that make it possible to prevent deaths. »