A vast awareness campaign for cyclists is being prepared in Montreal, to encourage them to better respect the Road Safety Code. This all comes at a time when the case of a little girl recently hit by a cyclist who failed to respect the stop lights of a bus caused shock waves.
What there is to know
- By next year, a campaign should be launched to raise cyclists’ awareness of road safety.
- According to Vélo Québec and Piétons Québec, the growth of cycling infrastructure makes more education necessary.
- On May 9, a little girl was hit by a cyclist who failed to stop at the flashing lights of a school bus.
Vélo Québec recently made a request to the Road Safety Fund of the Ministry of Transport to carry out a visibility campaign aimed at cyclists by spring 2025. This awareness blitz should generally focus on the application of behaviors specific to Road safety code, starting with priority for pedestrians.
“We don’t hide it: there are behavioral problems,” says the program director at Vélo Québec, Magali Bebronne.
His group hopes to be able to launch this campaign before the arrival of the “sustainable mobility corridor” on the Henri-Bourassa axis, where a branch of the Express Bike Network (REV) will see the light of day, alongside a Rapid Bus Service (SRB) by 2027.
This is the first time that we will have a very high density of public transport with a cycle lane, so it risks exacerbating tensions. It would be a shame if we missed this opportunity to work on mentalities.
Magali Bebronne, program director at Vélo Québec
She gives the example of last week’s incident, during which a little girl crossing the street to get to her school bus was hit by a cyclist who had failed to stop, on Plateau Mont-Royal. Fortunately, the victim is doing well. The fact remains that this is a clear violation of the Road Safety Code which has been denounced in unison in the cycling community.
“It has been obligatory for cyclists to stop near a school bus since 2018. And it is still poorly known,” illustrates the director. “Pedestrian crossings, we want to make people understand their importance. And the whole question of urban buses or drop-off points, it is important to respect pedestrian priority. »
The other potential idea to put forward, “would be to use the bell more on bicycles,” adds Magali Brebonne. “In Ontario, it’s mandatory and everyone uses it, whereas here, we need to explain it well so that it’s not seen as an attack. It’s going to be a challenge, for sure, there’s a social norm to change in some way. »
Montreal called to do more
A group of blind and visually impaired people is concerned about the safety of its members who are “particularly vulnerable” to collisions with cyclists. “More cycle lanes each year also means more risk of accidents with pedestrians. And it seems that the City doesn’t take care of that part,” says Yvon Provencher, the mobilization and rights defense agent at the Regroupement des blinds et amblyopes du Montréal métropolitain (RAAMM).
His group signed a letter this week initially intended for Mayor Valérie Plante and her administration, urging them “to be proactive in terms of education and awareness regarding cyclists.”
Blind and partially sighted people are particularly vulnerable to collisions with cyclists, as bicycles are often difficult or impossible to hear in time to react and avoid collisions.
Yvon Provencher, from the Group of Blind and Amblyopic People of Metropolitan Montreal
In particular, he calls for clearer communication efforts from the City of Montreal in the coming years to reduce the number of red lights run at intersections by cyclists, for example. “It’s not fair to associations to work on raising awareness. »
“In terms of development too, on the REV Saint-Denis, on Christophe-Colomb, it doesn’t work. The cycle path at the same level as the sidewalk and the boarding platform is very confusing for a visually impaired person. It’s simply not safe,” persists the mobilization agent, who recalls that with the aging of the population, “visual pathologies will increase.”
The director of Piétons Québec, Sandrine Cabana-Degani, believes that these messages are “important to get across”. “We asked the City last year that their cycling plan be accompanied by an awareness campaign. It’s a good thing that we’re developing infrastructure, but that will come with more new cyclists. And we need to educate these people,” she notes.
On the question of arrangements, Mme Degani recalls that the Peel Street REV is often cited as an example of “good practices”. “There is a better width, with tactile plates which allow you to signal dangers when you are about to cross the cycle path, both on the platform and on the sidewalk. It should be done everywhere,” she concludes.
In the office of Mayor Valérie Plante, we reiterate that it is “crucial to continue to raise awareness among all users of respecting the highway code, both motorists and cyclists.” “We remain firmly committed to continuing to improve urban amenities for people with reduced mobility throughout Montreal, currently focusing on the most sensitive sectors,” concludes press secretary Béatrice Saulnier-Yelle.