After two national mobilizations earlier this year in the wake of the death of schoolgirl Mariia Legenkovska, parents who denounce the lack of safe facilities for children who walk to school were able to meet the Minister of Transport and sustainable mobility, Geneviève Guilbault, Tuesday morning.
“We have a clear message: that the MTQ establish binding standards for the safety of trips to school”, says Ann-Julie Rhéaume, one of the mothers mobilized for the safety of active transport and co-organizer of the movement “Pas une more dead”, who organized the days of mobilization.
Parents invite Minister Guilbault, who is due to make public a plan for road safety in the province next month, not to limit herself to launching a signaling, awareness or repression campaign, actions that do not solve the problem at the source, they denounce.
“We know that is not enough. We need wider sidewalks, raised intersections, low walls… Guides exist, but cities are not obliged to do so. We must see leadership from Quebec, it must come from the minister, ”she said.
Among the parents who met the minister was Jacinthe Latulippe, whose daughter Anaïs Renaud, 11, was fatally hit by the driver of a van as she walked on a road without sidewalks on her way to the school, in Saint-Flavien, five years ago.
Catherine Ricard, whose son Jules Boutin, 13, died in 2019 after being grabbed by a driver employed by Autobus Brunet in front of his school in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, was also there.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Catherine Ricard and Pierre Boutin. Their 13-year-old son Jules Boutin died after being hit by a school bus near the Polyvalente de Monts in Ste-Agathe.
In the case of Jules, as in several other cases, the danger was known, the mayor of Saint-Agathe at the time had been arrested several times. The problem is that acting to protect our children is a choice, when it should be an obligation.
Catherine Ricard
Bereaved families often have no one to turn to, says Ms.me Ricard, who was off work for a year after Jules’ death. “There is no leverage for the victims, because of the notor fault. On the side of the municipalities and the MTQ, there is nothing either. There is no basic duty of care to arrange school routes with a minimum of safety. What we say is that we should not wait for another tragedy to be proactive. »
Two independent investigations commissioned by the SAAQ have determined that the driver was responsible for the collision that killed Jules. The case has been before the Transport Commission for two years. “It’s not moving, it’s very nebulous as a process,” says Mme Richard.
Deficient facilities
The death of 7-year-old Mariia Legenkovska, killed by a driver on the way to school in Montreal last December, demonstrated once again that children bear the brunt of poor facilities around schools, says the group .
Recently, a citizen recorded 44 offenses committed in one hour by motor vehicle drivers who were making a prohibited turn at the corner of Rouen and Parthenais streets, where Mariia was fatally struck.
In the spring, the borough notably announced that 110 new speed bumps will be installed – a request made for years by groups of parents, who had hitherto been refused.
Municipalities in Quebec are not required to provide a safe environment for active transportation around schools attended by children in the province, the group notes.
While 80% of Canadian students used active transportation to get to school in the 1980s, less than 20% do so today. The heavy presence of motor vehicle drivers around schools, as well as the lack of protected infrastructure for walkers and cyclists, causes a vicious circle that further encourages driving, denounces Mr.me Rheaume.
“The way to school is unfortunately a dangerous place for children, parents say so and constantly complain. But even in the event of death, everyone passes the buck to each other, ”says Mme Rheaume.
Minister Guilbault demonstrated “openness,” she said.
“She was sensitive to our cause, and agreed with several points. She did not commit herself on the obligatory aspect. I sensed that she was worried that cities wouldn’t accept her very well, but I don’t think that’s the case, you can feel a lot of will on the part of cities in this file. »